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Originally Posted by Dmitry
British officers in 1780 buying French-supplied swords...highly unlikely. 
Much like British officers buying German-supplied pistols in 1940..
Stylistically this hilt could date to as early as 1750, the blade, however, is of later style. If Norman's sword is an authentic period piece with undisturbed tang button, then for me the blade outweighs the hilt in dating the sword.
Hilts of this type are not infrequently seen on European officers' swords. For a similar hilt, refer to the Piedmontese Modello 1770 officer's spada a Frantopino. Silver-plated, not yellow brass, but otherwise not too far apart. |
Actually, once again. I might have better worded my comment. Rather than French 'supplying' blades for British officers swords in 1780, perhaps it may have been better to say....French marked blades existed on some British swords in the period around 1780. Obviously the Revolution in America in which the French were virtually allied with the colonists would have discouraged such trade.
The sword which I was thinking of was actually a brass hilted cavalry officers half basket hilt which I once owned, with a blade with French purveyors name inscribed on the back. It was presumed c.1780 or slightly earlier and virtually identical hilt in iron is shown in "The British Basket Hilted Cavalry Sword" , A.D.Darling , Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting", Vol.7 #3, 1974, fog. 16, p.95.
This hilt, nearly identical to mine in brass, was diagonally gadrooned on the hilt branches as well as the pommel. It is dated 1765 as shown in a painting of that date of Henry Herbert, Earl of Pembroke as Colonel of the 1st Dragoons, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It is noted by the author that these 'wavy' three bar hilts were also adopted by the 2nd Irish Horse (5th Dragoons) in the last quarter of the 18th century.
Naturally in a stylistic sense hilts with these neoclassic characteristics recall much earlier designs reflecting late baroque fashion , so similar examples may be seen not only far earlier but in those of other countries.
Of course the blade form would take precedence, and as noted it does appear of the 1770s-80s period spadroon forms.
Returning to Normans example, the reference to British style hilts aside, I had noted that the Dutch in this period seem to have in degree followed British type forms. Perhaps this could be broadened to neoclassic styles of earlier hilts of varying countries.
I just found the reference in "The Rapier and Smallsword 1460-1820", A.V.B Norman , London, 1980, p.206.
The author describing hilts around 1779 (with one being noted having Amsterdam mark for that year) notes that , "...Dutch hilts seem to have followed English fashions", with the detail noting adoption of certain elements and 'vestigial claws' on the hilt. While not specifically with regard to the gadrooned fluting, the suggestion of English influence, likely including those of the sword previously described, may well have been included in the fashioning of this hilt in the Netherlands.