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Originally Posted by RSWORD
I was attracted to this piece because of the intricate carvings in the handle. I had to take a ton of pictures because of all the imagery in the handle. The very old blade didn’t hurt either. I would love to know the region it is from and date range and what all of the symbology/imagery is all about. My guess is Dutch or Flemish and maybe 17th century even possibly slightly earlier based on the design of the faded etching left at the forte. Thanks in advance both for looking at all the pictures and sharing thoughts.
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Rick, I would defintely agree with your discerning eye in estimating 17th c. blade, probably Low Countries and of course this places it in the VOC sphere. The artisans in Ceylon and Java were magnificent carvers and they produced many hilts for officers on the VOC and this seems a blade mounted in the manner of a pedang (though obviously much larger). We know Europeans had a penchant for novelty and exotic things which these trade networks provided.
The style seems to me very much baroque (as suggested by Rick) as popular in England and Europe in mid 17th c. with what seems the 'green man' and other such figures.