Unusual Quaddara

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Thank you Mahratt for these better pictures!

You raise an interesting issue.

The corrosion on the blade appears to be genuine to my eyes.

However, I find it very strange that it is so evenly spread across the whole blade. From my experience, the blades oxidize unevenly, with those parts that are inside the metallic armatures of the scabbard oxidizing much more than the rest, because that's where most of the micro-condensation takes place. Usually, most of the oxidation is at the tip of the blade, on the part that is inside the chape.

I also find strange the level of oxidation and the aspect of it on the scabbard. I have many pieces with koftgari, in various conditions but usually the oxidation is not so uniform and doesn't have this brownish aspect.

Last but not least, for most scabbards, the parts that get damaged first are those covered in textile or leather, while the metallic armatures tend to remain in better condition. Here I see the opposite: the metallic armatures are in poor, corroded condition, while the mid-section leather part is in significantly better condition. If the metallic parts were exposed to such harsh conditions to get so heavily corroded, then I would expect the leather to show some matching degradation and be in much worse condition.

So, while I cannot express a definitive conclusion, I believe there are some points that may raise some suspicion.

As a fellow member would say: "my antennae are twitching."

Yes, Marius. And don't forget that the horn on hilt is in perfect condition. In this case, usually if the item has served 150-200 years, as written by the seller, the handle from horn looks a little different

[ariel]

Marius,
The preferential rusting of the point is the result of storing the ( especially scabbarded ) sword vertically, as was the usual practice of arsenals and private wall- hangings, with moisture naturally accumulating around the point. See Elgood’s description of the rusted/ pockmarked upper surfaces of arsenal tulwars’ discs: dust accumulation there retained moisture with predictable results. If the sword was stored horizontally and wrapped in some tissue the main damage would be to the scabbard soft iron parts and the highly carbonized steel body of the blade, rather than the point. That is why the locket and the chape are covered in diffuse layers of thin rust, while the blade is pitted.
As to the handle, I have mentioned earlier that the seller’s description of it was inaccurate: the horn on one side was cracked and glued by some unknown ( yet:-) substance.

This is not the first time a particular person suggests that I bought a fake. That’s his way of trying to get under my skin:-) I just do not pay attention to the childish vitriolics .

There is not a scintilla of doubt in my mind that the “ quaddara” or what other name we attach to it is 100% old and authentic. How old? IMHO, at least 19th century. I am waiting for Kwiatek to pitch in. Hopefully, then we may know better.

I may have to re-photograph the whole shebang, but the weather here was and still is horrible, with incessant thunderstorms, unbearable heat and sauna- like humidity. The only living creatures enjoying it are the mosquitoes, and swarms of them. On the other hand, watching hundreds of fireflies dancing at night over a wet grass is something to behold!

[Interested Party]

This is a kindjal posted by Arsendaday in March 2016. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...etched+kindjal Post #27
The lines and fuller work look similar.

[Interested Party]

Pictures attached this time

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Pictures attached this time

These daggers are quite common for Trabzon region.
The spine is straight till the thinner sharp edge which has a slight curve as well as the cutting edge.