Thank you for your input Chris,
In fact, cup hilted swords kept being built in both Spain and Portugal until the XVIII century and, those that survived, were used in local conflicts still in the beg. XIX century, when the various civil wars forced the population to seek resource in every weapon at hand.
I don't think these (somehow) short swords were made for boys; in such cases cup bowl and grips should also be smaller ... and the blade would be even shorter.
Small adults abounded in those days in the Peninsula; no surprise if several swords were commissioned or later shortened for those guys.
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