EUROPEAN BLADE PRE 1800 FOR ID

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Fernando.

I checked my copy of "Edged Weapons of the Habsburg Monarchy 16th-20thc" (Konipsky & Moudry, Prague, 1991) as I felt this blade resembled one of East Europe, and found two examples which seem plausibly connected.


The one with the coat of arms on the blade ( p.43 ; #14) is from Hungarian hussars c. 1751-54.

The other is Austrian light cavalry first half of 19th c.


What drew me to these types were the multiple fullers in the distal half of the blade, while the beginning of the blade is of hollow ground form. With these two blades, the later (19th c,) form has three fullers.....however the style of etching seems more in line with this example Willem has.


The earlier blade seems to be in line with the fuller pattern of Willem's but this type etching inconsistant.


There were of course many variants, and these blades were typically from Styria. According to some notable experts, Hungary did not have blade making centers but of course it was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

These blades were often found used in shashkas in the Caucusus, and were highly favored in Arabia and other regions, so there are any number of ways they may have entered trade networks which interacted with those of Indonesia.


I hope this will be of some help Willem, and I of course look forward to views of others with other information. In any case, a most interesting example with a very unusual blade in this context.