[Victrix]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

This example as in the one in original post, was acquired many years ago, and though I do not have dimensions at the moment, it is a substantial blade in recurved yataghan style with more length than typical Ottoman types.
It is presumed thus to be for a cavalry officer, the hilt is staghorn, in the 'hirschfanger' style of European hunting swords of 18th century.

The blade has a ligature, cypher suggesting initials of the owner or perhaps a device for a specific principality. The unusual configuration of the hilt, with vestigial quillon and the cuff resembling rainguards on earlier swords is interesting .The grip is bifurcated in 'yataghan' style as well.

On one quillon, there is stamped lettering BOU, but rest is no longer discernible. I had always hoped it might be for the famed arms maker to the regency in France Nicolas Boutet, but this remains tenuous at best.

The reason for posting this here, and with the 2012 query from Ethnographic was to illustrate the close proximities between European and Ethnographic weapons and to discuss these anomalies of the yataghan style.

Hi Jim,

This is a curious sword. The blade has a kind of concave shape like a sickle and I wonder how it would be handled. Perhaps almost like scythe?