Kaskara in Silver Dress: an essay for comment and discussion by Ed Hunley

[Ian]

Moderator's Comment

The following essay has been prepared by Ed Hunley for comments and discussion. Ed asked Vikingsword staff for help in putting his lengthy piece online, and it has been necessary to break his essay into several parts to accommodate the limitations on the number and overall size of graphics that can be included in a single post. We hope that this somewhat disjointed presentation does not detract from Ed's outstanding article. Any typos or other errors in the text are mine and not Ed's. Ian.

[Note: Pictures referenced to this web site have not been attached to these posts--you can access them directly from the links provided in the text--per Forum Policy, all external links must be accompanied by attached pictures.]

INTRODUCTION

Studies of the Sudanese Kaskara sword have focused mostly on variations in blades and quillons, allowing educated guesses as to a sword's regional origin and period of manufacture. However, the Kaskara “sword package” comprises several components—blade, quillon/cross-guard, grip cover, and scabbard with chape and top band—each made by individual craftsmen in the supply chain who may perform their work separated in space and time. Today’s package may be original to its initial time and place of manufacture/assembly, or may have a history of repairs or upgrades over perhaps hundreds of years and considerable distance. Each component has a story to tell.

I propose that we expand our discussions to include silver accessories added to a basic unadorned sword, usually of highest quality. These additions are intended to enhance the sword and its owner, and may be gifted to high status people as an honor. Silver has a talismanic quality as well as a decorative function. Copper and silver are both thought to bring protection from knife attack, but silver trumps copper. Silver accessories include grip covers, pommels, and chaps and bands on the scabbard's bottom and mouth.

Silversmiths are not affiliated with sword-making enterprises. They are higher-end craftsmen located nearer the center of the market. Their work is performed for a customer after the sword and scabbard have been assembled, and is an optional upgrade to enhance the quality of the “sword package” and the prestige of its owner.


A. GRIP COVERS

I am aware of four main styles of grip covers:

1. Diamond or Harlequin Motif
2. Stars and Comets (for want of a better term)
3. Silver filigreed ribbon mixed with reptile skin.
4. Other/Unique

1. Diamond/Harlequin

This is apparently the most common design and would be the easiest to emboss on a sheet of silver. The diamonds are in rows and appear to be aligned at an approximately 60º incline. They are sized to align more or less vertically as well. There is a small incised border at the top and bottom. The format appears to be standardized and varies only slightly in execution among different skilled hands.

This design appears to be most common in Darfur, mainly because it is associated with Ali Dinar's regalia swords. Also, the design, in a simplified form was recorded by Reed in Northern Darfur in 1984–85. An exception is a sword in the al Shinqiti Collection in Khartoum.

Examples

Fig. 1. Sword of Ali Dinar, Sultan of Darfur who was killed by the British in 1916. He apparently was gifted several high-end swords. [Maybe someone can fill in the givers and approximate dates.] It seems reasonable that the sword and grip cover would have been fabricated at the location of the gift rather than the location of the giftee. View online at: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/...d/lot.317.html

Fig. 2. Another sword very similar in quality and design to Ali Dinar's example posted on this web site by DaveS. View online at: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13142

Fig. 3. Another sword of similar design posted on this web site by David (Katara). Note the unique and exceptional domed pommel. View online at: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=kaskara

Fig. 4. Another with copper casing (unique as far as I know)—although it could be just dirty silver—posted by Longfellow on this web site. Also, note the domed top the pommel. View online at: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16357

Fig. 5. An example with one of the most ornate pommels I've seen. View online at: http://www.sword-site.com/thread/917...a-19th-century

Fig. 6. From the collection of Judge M.S. al Shinqiti (1896–1966), University of Khartoum (picture attached). One of six swords gifted to him c.1956 at the independence of Sudan, as photographed in 1984. [Three other of his swords with the Stars & Comets design will be discussed below.]I showed this photo to the shaykh of the Kassala sword maker's suq. He said it was likely made in the village of Wager about 60 miles north of Kassala. The blade is likely an import (it has the “enigmatic” mark). The quillon may have been forged by a smith there long ago and perhaps a local silversmith made the grip cover.

Fig. 7. Graham Reed 1987. His Plates L1 & L2 (attached below) have diamonds that are arranged vertically with a line gap between (unlike the Ali Dinar standard). The blades are older European and the quillons are well flared. Each has an interesting and well-defined pommel design. My guess is that a local silversmith made the grip covers inspired by the diamonds of the Ali Dinar examples.

Fig. 8. The handle cover on this kaskara (shown on the Ashokar Arts web site) uses the diamond motif but strays from the “standard” of Ali Dinar. It is a Beja sword, which may explain the difference. View online at: http://www.ashokaarts.com/shop/nice-...r-mounted-hilt

All of these examples, except Fig. 7 and the Ashoka Arts item, show remarkable similarity yet are different in subtle ways. Only in Figs. 1, 2 & 4 does the cover extend from the quillon to the top plain band where a tassel usually is tied. All the rest have the gap filled by coils of fine silver wire. I couldn't measure the actual widths, but assume the grips were all virtually the same rather than being of different length, though that is possible. None stray very far from the Ali Dinar grip if it may be the standard. A question remains as to the symbolic meaning, if any, and where, when and by whom it originated.

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[Ian]

2. Stars and Comets

These examples are intriguing and are rare in my experience. The design consists of opposed comet-like head and tail swoops offset by 5–6 pointed stars. At the center front is a diamond-shaped box with four small diamonds arranged in a vertical square. I've not considered one of these covers in 3-D, seen one unrolled flat or as a template, so it is difficult to present a full picture.

Most intriguing is that the same basic design is exhibited on the oldest documented example of a kaskara, the sword of Nasir Mohammad, the Funj sultan from 1762–69 (see attached Fig. 9), as well as more modern examples. The Nasir design also is on three of the six swords in the al-Shinqiti collection as mentioned above. If the Nasir design is 200 years old and has remained unchanged for that time, it must be full of symbolism and significance to have reappeared to honor al-Shinqiti.

Examples

Fig. 9. Nasir Mohammad sword (c.1762). This sword has all the elements of a first quality kaskara: a high-end blade, marked as a German source, with a perfect high taper quillon and a star and comet silver-covered grip. Indeed, all quillons produced since this design and method of manufacture have degenerated in style and quality. [A skilled swordsmith in Kassala in 1984 said that no one currently makes quillons of that flared design.] The sword is equal in quality to the Ali Dinar (c.1900-1916) piece shown above, except it doesn't have the rich engraving on the quillons. Its “perfect” condition begs the questions: Where did it come from? What is its stylistic development history? Are there any known examples of precedent designs? The Nasir sword is shown here, with a good background by Regihis: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16814

Fig. 10 a,b. Two views of the same sword in the al Shinqiti Collection are attached. The theme resembles that in Fig. 9, but it has only one “V” line above top center pair of comets. Note the flared quillon (Fig. 10a). Fig. 10b shows the end of the quillon's diamond shape. I wonder if this diamond motif has symbolic relevance like the design on the diamond silver case. It looks to me that if the sword was restored, especially the pommel, it could be a brother to the Nasir Mohammad example and a potential Funj sword as well.

Fig. 11. Another sword from the al Shinqiti Collection. To my eye the silver work is virtually identical to the 1762 grip cover in Fig. 9, although the silver band at the bottom is not there.

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[Ian]

3. Silver Filigree

This type of grip treatment consists of filigreed silver tape wrapped around the wooden grip base, plus a wrap of reptile skin. Both materials have symbolic meaning. The process is of course less expensive to execute than the high-end diamond and stars examples. However, this treatment addresses the protective qualities of silver and cultural signatures of lizard skin and the traditional Beja tassel.

Examples

Fig. 12. I collected these two Hadendowa swords in Kassaka in 1984 (see attached). The one on the left was said to have been made c. 1915. Due to the similarity of its grip cover, I would date the other to the same time. This style may be a Kassala signature style. Similarly dressed Beja swords are shown on other web sites sites, and two more examples can be found here:

Fig. 13. An example in Lee Jones kaskara paper on this web site is a cut well above. View online at: http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/kaskara/index.html

Fig. 14. Another example is on the Oriental Arms site. View online at: http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=1343


4. Other/Unique covers

Other embossing styles and designs will be encountered; some may be unique, one-off products of local silversmiths. If we come across other examples that can be typed as stylistically similar, we will have another type to study. Here are a couple of examples:

Fig. 15. Kind of a diamond design, but not really (see attached picture), with good views of the pommel and chape. Somewhat resembles the pommel and top caps in Fig. 12. View online at: http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=1430

Fig. 16. A unique design on a Beja sword hilt (Fig. 16a). Also, provides a good view of the pommeland chape (Fig. 16b). View online at: http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s587_full.html


B. POMMELS

Examples of different pommels have been shown along with the pictures of silver grips. A couple are rather spectacular, but these seem one-offs. (Figs. 7, Reed's Plates L1 & L2, show nice sketches of designs.) The pommels in Fig. 12, especially the top caps, are virtually identical and likely made by the same silversmith. Additionally, you will notice other similarities of type. However, I'll leave their description and analysis to others.


C. SCABBARD CHAPES AND TOP BANDS

Chapes are the triangular metal pieces at the bottom of scabbards. They prevent the point of the sword blade from penetrating the leather and causing injury. Bands at the throat of the scabbard are designed to prevent the blade from cutting the scabbard when being withdrawn or replaced. For the most part, these are made of thin light metal, usually aluminum these days, and they generally exhibit a decorative design. On higher end swords these items will be made of silver and many have elaborate designs.

Example

Fig. 17. Shows the scabbard chapes from my two Kassala swords above (Fig. 12). The left chape (of better quality) belongs to the left (better quality) sword in Fig. 12. The corresponding bands are also shown in Fig. 12.

There it is, my first cut at silver dressed kaskaras. I was surprised that my mainly online research revealed so few design motifs. Hopefully, other examples in museums and forum members’ collections will come to light. Comments, discussions and light criticism welcome.

Ed Hunley

July 2018

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[Ian]

This thread was locked during the loading of all the material from Ed. It is now complete and open for Discussion. I want to thank Ed again for taking a considerable amount of time and effort in putting this magnum opus together.


Ian.

[David R]

Thank you for these posts. Very interesting and informative.

[TVV]

Ed, thank you very much for this essay. It is on a very interesting topic that nobody has tackled before, and I learned a lot from reading it. The essay is very well written as well.

I have a couple of questions: do you know what the symbolism behind the different motives embossed on silver hilts may be (assuming there is any)? Did you consider including the double disc pommel kaskaras in the essay?

Regards,
Teodor

[colin henshaw]

A most useful piece of research by Edster.

The motif of stars is also to be found on coins from the Mahdist era (see image attached). The coins also sometimes have similar "comet or shooting star" forms, however probably then meant to represent foliage ...

[Edster]

Colin,

I'm not really sure the "comets" are comets. Never looked at the overall cover in detail when I photographed them 35 years ago. They just look like they might be such in the photos. Could be foliage. Still an interesting symbolic rich design apparently limited to important swords.

Best,
Ed

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by Edster

Colin,

I'm not really sure the "comets" are comets. Never looked at the overall cover in detail when I photographed them 35 years ago. They just look like they might be such in the photos. Could be foliage. Still an interesting symbolic rich design apparently limited to important swords.

Best,
Ed

I meant on the coin they look like foliage, but on the sword, could well be comets ?

Regards.

[Edster]

Yes, I agree. Coin foliage. Sword probably comets.
Regards,

[Edster]

Oliver,

The 1762 Nasir sword was restored in the British Museum and returned to the Sudanese National Museum in Khartoum. See the "Ancient Treasures" reference in post #14. I'm not aware of the swords history prior to the restoration.

Regards,
Ed