Is this a scimitar? From where? When?

[Ian]

Neivalf99:

I think this one would get more attention over in the European Forum, so I'm redirecting it there.

Ian

[Jim McDougall]

I agree this is likely a hanger from late 18th century, and probably in the spectrum of these kinds of swords used by para military and auxiliary forces in Eastern Europe modeled after the notorious 'pandours' of Austria. The note toward hunting swords is well placed, as these forces were often charged with foraging as well as skirmishing for the regular army forces, and often used hangers of 'hirschfanger' type replete with stag horn grips.

While I cannot read the script on back of blade, the motif is consistent with the oriental exotica type motif popular through Europe in these times on blades. The clipped point on this blade is actually consistent with these captioned as 'pandour point' by Gerhardt Seifert ("Schwert Degen Sabel", 1962) in a typology chart of blade point forms.

The shellguard seems much aligned with cutlass like forms known in Spanish colonial and thereby sometimes Italian contexts which counter diffused in these times as well, so basically this is a unique example of these hanger type forms which is probably from these irregular units around late 18th c.

[Ian]

Neivalf99:

I took the liberty of rotating and adjusting the picture showing an inscription. The best I can make of the name is

G Dimûsco

That perhaps sounds Romanian or Albanian--not too far away from where you found it.

Ian

[Jim McDougall]

Ian, thank you for the assist on that! Between my Luddite computer skills and this Fisher-Price keyboard, I was stuck there !!!

Now having that name, I would note that it certainly does align with those nationalities, and that the convention of script signature of either maker or supplier of blade in late 18th c. was at this location typically on blade back.
The forces I mentioned, were indeed of pandour type in French armies as well as certain other European armies, and their forces were often of Balkan and East European nationality, many Hungarian.

This style of oriental/exotic motif on the blade was well known in these times in Nantes in France as 'Caissagnard', and often had a 'Turks head' or a turbaned figure.

[Oliver Pinchot]

The blade is as you conclude, Jim et al.
The hilt is a recent fabrication.

[Victrix]

When I google Dimusco I find that musco translated from Italian means 1) a small mouse whose fur smells of musk, or 2) moss? This is also used as surname in Italy. Hunting swords which I have seen often carry references to Pandours in the form of words ("Vivat Pandour") or related graphics (moon, star, figures, etc). The stag horn handle might suggest this is a hunting sword? On the other hand the width of the blade makes it more ferocious looking than other hirschfänger which I have seen. Could be a composite as suggested above?

[Neivalf99]

Wow what incredible info!
Thank you all so much, the inscription on the back is "Damasco"
with a crescent moon in front.
unfortunately the inscription on the other side of the blade is very worn.
Thanks again!

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Neivalf99

... the inscription on the back is "Damasco"
with a crescent moon in front...

So, that's what it is, Neivalf99; precious info as well .

[Victrix]

Damasco is French/Spanish/Portuguese for Damascus.