Hunting Tulwar (Tulwar Shikargah)

[Cathey]

Hi Guys

Just to confuse things a little more, this Hunting Sword is Spanish but heavily influenced by the Moors. It was the late Claude Blair that confirmed this connection and identified SAN RoqE on the blade as Saint São Roque the Patron Saint of Dogs.

This sword is difficult to date as it is the only example I have come across, however Claude believed it to be Circa 1810.
Nationality: Probably Cordoba, Argentina?
Overall Length: 62.4 cm (24.6 inches)
Blade length: 46.5 cm (18.3 inches)
Blade widest point: 4.5 cm (1.8 inches)
Marks, etc: Blade engraved decoration to 2/3rds and the name SAN RoqE. Decoration includes dear, standing man with hat, double headed eagle and ½ man with hat as well as decorative foliage.

Description
HUNTING SWORD Hispanic origin circa 1800 (Cordoba, Argentina?). Purchased by the previous owner from an antique shop in London in 1949. Ornate silver hilt includes a carved horn dog at the top of the grip connected to the lower end of grip by a silver chain. Silver work to leather scabbard, end missing. All silver fitting very tight and well made excellent quality. Double-headed eagle is included among the complicated decoration deeply chiselled into the blade. The name SAN RoqE [San Roque] is the Spanish form of that of the French saint known in English and French as “Saint Roch”. He was very popular, and many churches and religious institutions were dedicated to, or named after him.

General Remarks
General workmanship is extremely fine and typical of European hunting swords; however its provenance is somewhat mysterious in that the design and look is Spanish, but with a distinct Moorish flavour.

When considering the name SAN RoqE on the blade it is interesting to note that there is a small city called San Roque in Colombia, and there is silver in Colombia, men with hats, deer and eagles. Regarding the dog in the hilt, this may relate to the legend of Saint São Roque which says that when São Roque was contaminated with the plague, he retired to the forest, and only survived because a dog brought him daily a piece of bread. In some countries this Saint is considered the patron of dogs.

The piece has a very strong Moorish or oriental flavour, both in the shape of the sword, as in the decoration. Acid etching (aqua forte) decoration is thoroughly used on the blade of this sword, and this technique was of common use in Toledo, were artisans were taught to use it centuries ago from the Moor invaders.

It was through correspondence with the late Claude Blair that the Spanish origin, combined with Moorish influence was confirmed. This sword despite being very ornate does show signs of period use.

Cheers Cathey

[Jim McDougall]

This is a fascinating example, and I know I have seen one either similar or perhaps this very sword in references someplace (it'll drive me nuts til I find it). The example I recall had that same SAN RoqE inscription.
I am thinking it may have been seen in "The Lore of Arms" (William Reid, 1920/1984 repr) but dont have it at hand. I know I included it in notes on Spanish weapons I was compiling.

The Moorish distinction is well noted, and what it most interesting is the 'yataghan' type forward curve, the wire wrapped grip neck (as on Islamic swords such as shamshir, and often on hangers etc. ). This feature has been seen on Spanish colonial swords in the central and south American sphere.
Note the 'karabela' hilt nimcha which is Arab but circulated throughout Mediterranean regions and into the Spanish sphere through trade routes in their colonies in Morocco.

I think the Cordoba, Argentina attribution is correct, as this resembles the machete like knife/sword known as the 'facon' in these South American regions.
The allegoric zoomorphic 'dog head' seems in accord with the San Roque legend.
Note the resemblance in the rearward extension of the blade at forte, resembling those of many facon.
Similar machete type swords with these kinds of zoomorphic pommels are known in Central American and tropical Mexican regions as well.