Unusual Flyssa?
 

Hi,
The decoration on the blade looks like a flyssa. The handle is in nacre (pearl?).
Never seen somthing like this before, any idea's? Thanks

Obviously this is a composite, but you probably knew that. The hilt is from the 19th c. French style dress sword.

Now the question is whether or not it is an old composite or a new composite. How is the blade mounted to the hilt? Aren't there French influences in Algeria? It's an odd combination but maybe an odd cross cultural piece. Would need to see how it is mounted together to determine.

You can also notice that the hilt itself is a composite. The pommel and the grip did not belong together. In fact the pommel looks like a furniture knob.
I'm not an African collector, butdon't the flyssas have straight blades?

most do, some don't ;)

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...kew/flyssa.jpg

The French invaded and captured Algiers in 1830, it was a french colonie till 1964.

THERE ARE A FEW CURVED FLYSSA BUT MOST ARE STRAIGHT. WHAT WE OFTEN REFER TO AS THE WEDDING NIMCHA ALWAYS HAS A CURVED BLADE. ( AT LEAST I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE WITH A STRIAGHT BLADE) :)
BOTH COME FROM ALGERIA AND HAVE THE INLAYED DECORATIONS IN THE BLADE. IN THE PICTURE OF TWO EXAMPLES SHOWN THE BLADE AT THE TOP IS OF WEDDING NIMCHA FORM WITH A HANDLE THAT IS CLOSER TO FLYSSA FORM. A TRUE CURVED FLYSSA WOULD HAVE THE SAME FORM OF BLADE AND HANDLE AS THE EXAMPLE ON THE BOTTOM WITH A CURVED BLADE. I THINK THERE MAY BE SOME OLD POSTS IN THE FORUM ON THE FLYSSA WITH GOOD INFORMATION AND PICTURES ON SIZES AND FORMS. JUST MY OPINION AS I AM NO EXPERT :shrug: