Kaskara for comment

Mefidk · 11th April 2011, 12:22 PM

I picked this up at a local arms fair at the weekend. This is only my second kaskara and I think number 7 that I have seen first hand, but it seems to be a very nicely produced weapon. Following from a previous kaskara thread here I wonder if this is another Darfur kaskara. Judging from the colour and oxidation I think there is quite a lot of silver in hilt decoration, but no harlequin pattern.

I find the blade rather interesting. I thought at first it was a larger blade ground down to kaskara form, but it has also been suggested by another forumite that it is a German 19C blade (the hilt I assume is early 20C). There is a small ricasso and both sides of the blade have two horizontal lines which I assume mark the forte as was, but these are just residual marks. No other marks that I can find on the blade which is 94cm long and 4.5cm wide at the base.

More pictures here.

So I'm wondering if there is anyway to guess where this blade comes from, and whether the lack of stamps or writing is due to them not being there, or past overcleaning? How much work was required to 'make' the kaskara from the original blade - or have I got it completely wrong and the blade was made this way from the start?

Chris

A.alnakkas · 11th April 2011, 12:52 PM

Beautiful! The blade is certainly better then the usual blades made in sudan so i guess its european. I really hope to own a complete kaskara like this one someday perhaps in the near future.

Congrats

Battara · 11th April 2011, 03:30 PM

Wonderful piece - love these when they are clad in silver or even gold!

Iain · 11th April 2011, 04:49 PM

As I'm the one who suggested 19th century German I may as well chip in.

The blade is in my opinion a normal export pattern in that this type turns up enough in kaskara that they don't appear to be one-off imports. I would assume it would be from Solingen. Solingen makers exported heavily to the Sudanese market and specifically for kaskara. While the main makers I'm familiar with were Kull and Clauberg there would have been 9 major makers in Solingen at the time. Not every batch of blades seems to have featured stamps or markings. 94cm is a pretty standard size for kaskara blades, I assume overall it is about 1.1-1.2 meters? These nicely made, wide fullered blades turn up occasionally as what I think are genuine European imports and quite often as cruder local copies. You've got the good kind.

The ricasso on this is pretty normal and is just the base of the blade left as is and not ground to an edge. Nothing particularly odd about it just not all that common, I have seen them before - for example here's one from the sold archive at Oriental Arms. http://oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1221

So in summary, definitely European, I think made for export pattern just based on circumstances and that I've seen others of a very similar form and the ricasso is just how it was hilted up. Just my opinion of course. Stephen or some of the other guys more heavily involved in kaskara research can, I'm sure, add more.

Battara · 11th April 2011, 07:10 PM

Yes I agree - very common to have European blades on these swords.

Edster · 11th April 2011, 11:28 PM

Mefidk,

Very nice sword. I can't add more about the blade. However, due to the "tassel" and general (excellent) decoration on the handle, I'd place it from Kassala. Could very well be in the 1910-20 period. I have one very similiar attached with that provenance. Sorry I couldn't select just one picture.

Best,
Ed

11th April 2011, 12:22 PM	#1
Mefidk Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 157	Kaskara for comment I picked this up at a local arms fair at the weekend. This is only my second kaskara and I think number 7 that I have seen first hand, but it seems to be a very nicely produced weapon. Following from a previous kaskara thread here I wonder if this is another Darfur kaskara. Judging from the colour and oxidation I think there is quite a lot of silver in hilt decoration, but no harlequin pattern. I find the blade rather interesting. I thought at first it was a larger blade ground down to kaskara form, but it has also been suggested by another forumite that it is a German 19C blade (the hilt I assume is early 20C). There is a small ricasso and both sides of the blade have two horizontal lines which I assume mark the forte as was, but these are just residual marks. No other marks that I can find on the blade which is 94cm long and 4.5cm wide at the base. More pictures here. So I'm wondering if there is anyway to guess where this blade comes from, and whether the lack of stamps or writing is due to them not being there, or past overcleaning? How much work was required to 'make' the kaskara from the original blade - or have I got it completely wrong and the blade was made this way from the start? Chris Attached Images

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11th April 2011, 12:52 PM	#2
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,338	Beautiful! The blade is certainly better then the usual blades made in sudan so i guess its european. I really hope to own a complete kaskara like this one someday perhaps in the near future. Congrats

11th April 2011, 03:30 PM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Wonderful piece - love these when they are clad in silver or even gold!

11th April 2011, 04:49 PM	#4
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,680	As I'm the one who suggested 19th century German I may as well chip in. The blade is in my opinion a normal export pattern in that this type turns up enough in kaskara that they don't appear to be one-off imports. I would assume it would be from Solingen. Solingen makers exported heavily to the Sudanese market and specifically for kaskara. While the main makers I'm familiar with were Kull and Clauberg there would have been 9 major makers in Solingen at the time. Not every batch of blades seems to have featured stamps or markings. 94cm is a pretty standard size for kaskara blades, I assume overall it is about 1.1-1.2 meters? These nicely made, wide fullered blades turn up occasionally as what I think are genuine European imports and quite often as cruder local copies. You've got the good kind. The ricasso on this is pretty normal and is just the base of the blade left as is and not ground to an edge. Nothing particularly odd about it just not all that common, I have seen them before - for example here's one from the sold archive at Oriental Arms. http://oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1221 So in summary, definitely European, I think made for export pattern just based on circumstances and that I've seen others of a very similar form and the ricasso is just how it was hilted up. Just my opinion of course. Stephen or some of the other guys more heavily involved in kaskara research can, I'm sure, add more.

11th April 2011, 07:10 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Yes I agree - very common to have European blades on these swords.

11th April 2011, 11:28 PM	#6
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 389	Mefidk, Very nice sword. I can't add more about the blade. However, due to the "tassel" and general (excellent) decoration on the handle, I'd place it from Kassala. Could very well be in the 1910-20 period. I have one very similiar attached with that provenance. Sorry I couldn't select just one picture. Best, Ed