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Old 13th May 2015, 01:17 PM   #18
fernando
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In the plate and nomina designed and crafted by Francisco Xavier Palomares in 1762, after the listing drawn by his father Francisco Santiago Palomares, the name for these smiths (father Thomás and son Luis) was DE AIALA.
Mind you, the maker's punzon may appear both in the uncovered part of the tang, before the guard (ricasso), also in the first third of the blade section (forte).
BTW, the term ricasso may also be applied to the blade section right after the hilt when its purpose is the ( long) sword entire hand holding, which is a different story.
Whereas the blade has (or not) an assumed ricasso before the hilt, i would say such is not a characteristic of different smiths but the purpose the blade is going to serve, whether a cup hilt sword, a swept hilt rapier, you name it.
I am not sure this whole story makes sense, as i am far from having a profound knowledge of the subject.
Attached are examples of marks in ricassos, the first a cup hilt sword with period symbol in both sides and the second with a makers punzon in one side; the first also with a period typical motto on the blade (MIN SINAL HES EL SANTISSIMO CRUCIFICIO) and the second with the maker's name (GONZALO SIMON).
Master Gonzalo Simon (1608-1617) also figures in the Palomares nomina and, eventually also uses the 'anchor' mark



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