strange Portuguese (?) sabre

Jim McDougall · 28th July 2016, 05:28 PM

Actually pretty well made for a tourist thing in my opinion, but without handling it I cant really say. My reference to fraternal and Masonic type swords, until recent years these were typically somewhat dismissed as irrelevant to weapons collections. However, after some collectors developed an interest and pursued serious study on them, reference books followed, and they evolved into a historically viable field of study.

This extremely unusual item (as far as I know, as I do not have access to European stores or tourist shops) seems to have more detail than most commercially intended items.
Sometimes such items can as suggested, be linked to theatrical props and the like, and as they are often of some vintage, have intrinsic historical value on their own merit.

In researching certain Spanish colonial artifacts out here in the deserts of the Southwest, there have been numbers of items found in locations with historic context which eventually turned out to be either theatrical items or votive religious items of 19th century.

All I am saying is that sometimes its good to keep options open, and seek all possibilities for an item before declaring it wall hanging fodder. The historic notes provided by Fernando even give sources for the nuanced influences of the item, and that dimension offers interesting appreciation.

28th July 2016, 05:28 PM	#10
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,194	Actually pretty well made for a tourist thing in my opinion, but without handling it I cant really say. My reference to fraternal and Masonic type swords, until recent years these were typically somewhat dismissed as irrelevant to weapons collections. However, after some collectors developed an interest and pursued serious study on them, reference books followed, and they evolved into a historically viable field of study. This extremely unusual item (as far as I know, as I do not have access to European stores or tourist shops) seems to have more detail than most commercially intended items. Sometimes such items can as suggested, be linked to theatrical props and the like, and as they are often of some vintage, have intrinsic historical value on their own merit. In researching certain Spanish colonial artifacts out here in the deserts of the Southwest, there have been numbers of items found in locations with historic context which eventually turned out to be either theatrical items or votive religious items of 19th century. All I am saying is that sometimes its good to keep options open, and seek all possibilities for an item before declaring it wall hanging fodder. The historic notes provided by Fernando even give sources for the nuanced influences of the item, and that dimension offers interesting appreciation.