Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - George III Dragon-Head Spadroon

Jim McDougall · 9th September 2023, 03:09 PM

Jerseyman, I am surprised you are not a specialized collector of military swords as you have an astute awareness of the particulars and clearly a discerning eye. This is one of the most attractive and intriguing examples of the British 'spadroon' that I have seen!
The spadroon term seems to have come into British parlance in 18th century with first recorded usage with Donald McBane (1728) who was a writer on fencing and swordsmanship.The term itself refers to a light single edged sword and is often most associated with the five ball hilt pattern (1786 regulations).

Your example seems to be almost certainly of the late 18th into early 19th century and Georgian. One of the most unusual elements is the dragon like terminal on the knuckle bow which I think must relate to the makara head of the East Indies weapon motifs which suggests a possible East India Company possibility. British officers were highly attracted to exotic motifs from various colonial regions and factored these into the swords they commissioned.

The ray skin grip material was also favored in this convention ( often known by the earlier term 'shagreen' ) and found use on many British officers swords of this period. While officers were of course given carte blanche on the swords they commissioned, the alignment with uniform fashion was still somewhat integral to the designs, as in the 1786 regulations which stipulated,' the guard should match the color of the buttons'. Obviously this would apply to the metal color silver or gold, however I mention it only for the note on the braiding on your example which is of the bullion type used on uniforms (but also on sword knots).

The ray skin was as noted a popular material for grips, to the point that often a more synthetic form using horse skin with pressure embossed seeds that was popularized in France called 'galuchat' . French fashion was highly key to British interest but this material on yours seems indeed ray skin.

Probably TMI, but wanted to add whatever perspective I could as this is a most handsome example which serves well for those of us who are in the study of the fascinating British military swords of this period.
Thank you so much for sharing it here!

9th September 2023, 03:09 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,785	Jerseyman, I am surprised you are not a specialized collector of military swords as you have an astute awareness of the particulars and clearly a discerning eye. This is one of the most attractive and intriguing examples of the British 'spadroon' that I have seen! The spadroon term seems to have come into British parlance in 18th century with first recorded usage with Donald McBane (1728) who was a writer on fencing and swordsmanship.The term itself refers to a light single edged sword and is often most associated with the five ball hilt pattern (1786 regulations). Your example seems to be almost certainly of the late 18th into early 19th century and Georgian. One of the most unusual elements is the dragon like terminal on the knuckle bow which I think must relate to the makara head of the East Indies weapon motifs which suggests a possible East India Company possibility. British officers were highly attracted to exotic motifs from various colonial regions and factored these into the swords they commissioned. The ray skin grip material was also favored in this convention ( often known by the earlier term 'shagreen' ) and found use on many British officers swords of this period. While officers were of course given carte blanche on the swords they commissioned, the alignment with uniform fashion was still somewhat integral to the designs, as in the 1786 regulations which stipulated,' the guard should match the color of the buttons'. Obviously this would apply to the metal color silver or gold, however I mention it only for the note on the braiding on your example which is of the bullion type used on uniforms (but also on sword knots). The ray skin was as noted a popular material for grips, to the point that often a more synthetic form using horse skin with pressure embossed seeds that was popularized in France called 'galuchat' . French fashion was highly key to British interest but this material on yours seems indeed ray skin. Probably TMI, but wanted to add whatever perspective I could as this is a most handsome example which serves well for those of us who are in the study of the fascinating British military swords of this period. Thank you so much for sharing it here!