Unknown Spanish colonial or Mexican Basket Hilted sabre

[Magey_McMage]

Hello everyone, apologies if any of this is rude or unorthodox as it is my first post on the forum here. I have gone by the same on the SBG forum (please do not construe this as an advertisement or otherwise, hopefully just trying to provide some context for my sudden appearance) for a number of years now but due to this current sword's mystery alongside wishing to try and expand my education I created an account here. I normally say I focus on later Victorian era military sabres, but let me be honest I get anything I think looks cool or can otherwise afford. Currently, British, French, Italian, Swiss, and Swedish are the majority of my focus in order of decreasing importance with an emphasis on non regulation and unusual swords such as patent solid hilts for the Brits, 'fantaisie' or North African non regulation for the French, and other similar applications of the same spirit for other countries.

I recently won a sword at the last Bonhams that is still being shipped, so it has not arrived yet. Ideally it will be here before the end of next week but while I wait I have been doing as much research as I can.

The description states as follows:

A SPANISH COLONIAL SILVER HILTED OFFICER'S SWORD,
19th century.
Silver hilt with narrow counter-guard mounting five intertwined branches, three with applied flaming bomb emblems, knuckle bow with foliate decoration where it joins the pommel cap above a spiral carved wood grip with twisted iron wire; straight double-edge blade with two narrow fuller and etched inscription "ME SENAL ES EL CAVISCO DEL VOY/[---] EN ALEMANIA SOLICE ANO 1720."


I found your great thread here: https://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24378 which gave me lots of useful information, I did not want to risk breaking any rules by necro-ing it some 7 years later.

Like those, my example appears to be at least the incorporation of an early 18th century blade onto a later hilt. However, I think much comparison stops there, at least as far as the ad-hoc nature is concerned. For the shape of the hilt itself, I have never seen anything like it. The usage of bars alone seems very unusual, most Highland basket hilts always seemed to have some sort of joinwork, and the basket pieces seem to be more flat and rectangular. A few unusual examples of 'cage hilts' on broadswords and rapiers in the early modern era, but nothing quite like this.

Additionally, the bars appear, at least on the outside of the guard, to be interlocked in such a way as to provide reinforcement to each other, although that might also be assuming a better heat treat? Floral elements where they all converge into 1 point to join at the pommel is something less associated with the more 270 degree protection of a basket hilt which comes at the cost of less wrist articulation, and it was earlier styles of guard which had the tradeoff down at the bottom of the hand. Pommel itself appears to have some nice hand embossed designs, and the grip is of the style mentioned by Mr. Jim McDougall here as a "round tang espada."

The blade is likely German given the inscription, I was unable to make a satisfactory translation of the final word myself at least using the photos alone. Nothing unusual in my opinion, single edged back or broadsword blade that then shapes into what looks like the flattened hexagonal shape you see very common in the early modern era, or more lenticular though I do not think the semantics here are too important with regards to its functionality.

The rivets on each of the bars joining them to the main portion of the hilt are unmistakably the flaming bomb motif used by fusiliers and grenadiers. That alone does not tell me much given how widely used that symbol is to the point I could make a non serious claim it is from the Springfield Armoury in Massachusetts.

However, I find myself completely stumped on it. The form appears to be bespoke and deliberate, not an existing modification. The usage of flaming bombs by choice may signal a military or colonial provenance, although I have not seen anything similar in appearance. The grip however is of the more composite style. If I may make an arbitrary guess, I might estimate closer to the Napoleonic Wars as far as hilt manufacture.

As a final note, the listing does give at least one point of provenance with the book listed. While I am waiting to acquire a copy, if anyone were to have an extant version and finds anything they feel is insightful, please feel free to let me know. I am unaware of any specific Spanish or Mexican or other North, Central, and South American-related state with a basket hilted grenadier sword and I would value any insight from this forum.

Thank you!