Side sword with unusually wrought hilt

[shayde78]

Thank you, Jim!

Your feedback is always welcome. Your thoughts echo mine. I was hesitant to even post it here, but that use of varnish definitely harkened back to old techniques. It does, however, interfere with normal patination so many of the other cues I would look for are not present.

I appreciate you opening the dialogue
-Rob

[Jim McDougall]

Absolutely Rob,
I appreciate you not only taking a chance on this, and having the courage to post it no holds barred. There are many readers who fear making comments due to risk of adverse reaction. In my opinion any sincere entry of either example or comment has merit and potential.

Actually, in my minds eye, I have seen something like this in an auction catalog years ago, and if I recall it was against a blue background like this, and was a rapier. While this is full length sword, the alternating quillon guard and the ring side guard recall left hand daggers, obviously which this is not. Perhaps the blade was added, hard to say.

Earlier in looking through "Armi Bianche Italiene" (Boccia & Coelho, 1975) many of the weapons reflect this kind of dynamic iron work and writhen dynamics, though not necessarily coiled in this manner. However looking at the often complex guard systems in rapiers etc. with often elaborate figures and art work, I could not help but think of this as with Italian influence.
The grotesque face on the pommel also corresponds to such features on some of these, mostly these weapons are from 16th-through 17th c.

Though not saying this is a weapon that early, it does provide a certain palate of influence that might have been produced indeed in the 19th century in any number of circumstances in similar ateliers in the manner of Schmidt.

Certainly not an answer, bot hopefully a direction.

all the best
Jim

[shayde78]

As always, thank you, Jim, for being so generous with your feedback.

I found some examples of hilts that share some elements with the sword in question. All of these are from the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The ballock dagger is thought to be Western European/British from c1450-1500

The pommel is listed as British c.1630

The transitional rapier is listed as Brescan c. 1650

As Jim said, these might have served as a pallet to inspire a later creation. I'm still perplexed at the amount of work someone put into this if merely meant as a wall-hanger. But, it worked to separate me from my money, so...mission accomplished?

[shayde78]

Example from mid-1700s?

[shayde78]

A few more examples

[Hotspur]

Maybe

The Green Man

Blattemaske

Der Guener Mensch

The metal work (if genuinely old) would be no earlier than 17th century.

Some early cast stuff

[shayde78]

Thanks for weighing in, Hotspur

I guess the consensus is that this is nothing special. I knew it was a long shot, but thought I lucked out with this one.

As always, thanks to those that provided feedback