Rick,
Look at the first and second luks: they are not even touching the jacket.
I also do not think we should write it off as artistic license: Rembrandt was very precise. Look at his rendition of the Ceylonese Patisthanaya in the "Blinding of Samson", and the kris in the same pic: one can easily see the structure of the handle ( Balinese?).
I am sure he had a weapon we just cannot recognize easily, but Rembrandt must have been onto something. This was not a quick recollection of something he had seen earlier for a moment and filled the memory gaps: he actually posed for this picture.
I am intrigued.
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