Nice Manding Sword For Comment

Jim McDougall · 19th December 2005, 05:01 AM

Hi Manolo,
The sabre you have linked does have what appears to be a European blade, probably French or German. What is interesting is the very deep parabolic curve. It seems that during the Napoleonic campaigns in Egypt, encounters with the Mamluks gave attention to the sabres they used, and blades of this type were sought by officers of both France and England for thier personal swords. The sabre you show may be French, but the mounts are completely atypical and seem certainly reasonably modern.
The fullering is very typical of European sabres of the 18th and 19th centuries and is usually termed hollow ground, for the wide removal of material to lighten the blade.
I have an English sabre of c.1800 which has a blade of extremely parabolic curve, and a sharp point which was unusual for this period, as most sabres favored the widely radiused hatchet point. It would seem that French versions of parabolic curve of this period might have a sharp point as well.
Best regards,
Jim

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19th December 2005, 05:01 AM	#9
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Hi Manolo, The sabre you have linked does have what appears to be a European blade, probably French or German. What is interesting is the very deep parabolic curve. It seems that during the Napoleonic campaigns in Egypt, encounters with the Mamluks gave attention to the sabres they used, and blades of this type were sought by officers of both France and England for thier personal swords. The sabre you show may be French, but the mounts are completely atypical and seem certainly reasonably modern. The fullering is very typical of European sabres of the 18th and 19th centuries and is usually termed hollow ground, for the wide removal of material to lighten the blade. I have an English sabre of c.1800 which has a blade of extremely parabolic curve, and a sharp point which was unusual for this period, as most sabres favored the widely radiused hatchet point. It would seem that French versions of parabolic curve of this period might have a sharp point as well. Best regards, Jim