Latest takouba for comment

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Congratulations. It is an interesting blade. Can anyone tell me about the age and method of this type of engraving? Except for the lion these engravings have a stimpled look. Is the stimple the method in and of itself or is it a byproduct of hitting a graving tool with a mallet? I've seen it on other blades, notably yagathan's with an Anatolian look where it seemed a later addition, but on this blade it seemed consistent with other manufacturing techniques. The 3rd picture from the bottom, that begins with a star, when I first saw it reminded me of Allah written seven times in a row, but when I looked closer I thought not. I would love a clearer detail of the silver work on the chape.

Hi Interested Party
Its hard to tell when these engravings were made, could be from the moment they entered Africa or later on demand of a client.
The method of engraving depends on the kind of tools the engraver uses, the shape of the point of the tool and how its been used. I've seen engravings with straight lines, dots, v shapes, triangles, and more. Two more foto's of the chape, hope they are clearer.