A STORTA for comments

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Jasper, and as always your sound experience with these arms is highly respected. With your observation naturally I regret my assessment that this example might be more modern and that the aging seemed unusual and possibly artificial.

I agree this sword does correspond with the types you note, and though visually similar to some Italian swords, not necessarily the storta.
Can you offer some observations on the unusual and erratic corrosion and patchy variations in the patterns? It would seem that in an excavated example, as this I believe would be presumed, that there would be dark patination and presence of goethite in that.
Is it possible that the deterioration within has become extensive enough that active rust (not usually apparent on old, long deposited items) has become prevalent from within?
I had an old cannon ball for many years almost black with such goethite patination, rough (like an orange) ....then it suddenly began to come apart with orange rust from within, and virtually disintegrated. This sword seems entirely intact and the components sound and undistorted.

All the best,
Jim