Spanish maker Dionysio Corrientes

Jim McDougall · 5th April 2023, 07:21 PM

In "The Lore of Arms", William Reid, 1976, Gothenburg, Sweden, p.124,
there is a line drawing of a sword, captioned as a hunting sword made in Toledo at the end of the 17thc. and by maker Corrientes.

In checking the Palomares panel of Toledo markings, indeed this maker is shown (#24), with a side note suggesting also Madrid.

I have been unable to find any further detail on Dionysio Corrientes as noted, and am hoping someone out there might have examples of other blades by this maker, or information on his period of work.

While this book is an intriguing reference, the fact this is a line drawing from unattributed source is of concern as to the classifying of this sword as a 'hunting sword' and of late 17th c.

If you look at the hilt, the grip has the distinctive 'hand nock' at the top as seen on the Moroccan 'nimcha' and seems to have filtered into other Spanish swords of 18th into 19th century. The scallop shell guard is also an affectation favored by the Spanish on the notable espada ancha swords of colonial New Spain in late 1700s into 1800s.

My thought is perhaps this blade is indeed by this maker of the period noted but used in the colonies as often the case later. Many of these swords did end up back in Spain via the trade rounds into these regions.
The two examples shown in pics are from Spanish colonies from 18th into 19th c. and the distinct notch in the hilt grip are seen.

5th April 2023, 07:21 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,957	Spanish maker Dionysio Corrientes In "The Lore of Arms", William Reid, 1976, Gothenburg, Sweden, p.124, there is a line drawing of a sword, captioned as a hunting sword made in Toledo at the end of the 17thc. and by maker Corrientes. In checking the Palomares panel of Toledo markings, indeed this maker is shown (#24), with a side note suggesting also Madrid. I have been unable to find any further detail on Dionysio Corrientes as noted, and am hoping someone out there might have examples of other blades by this maker, or information on his period of work. While this book is an intriguing reference, the fact this is a line drawing from unattributed source is of concern as to the classifying of this sword as a 'hunting sword' and of late 17th c. If you look at the hilt, the grip has the distinctive 'hand nock' at the top as seen on the Moroccan 'nimcha' and seems to have filtered into other Spanish swords of 18th into 19th century. The scallop shell guard is also an affectation favored by the Spanish on the notable espada ancha swords of colonial New Spain in late 1700s into 1800s. My thought is perhaps this blade is indeed by this maker of the period noted but used in the colonies as often the case later. Many of these swords did end up back in Spain via the trade rounds into these regions. The two examples shown in pics are from Spanish colonies from 18th into 19th c. and the distinct notch in the hilt grip are seen. Attached Images Last edited by Jim McDougall; 5th April 2023 at 07:37 PM.