A 17th century cutlass

Jim McDougall · 31st March 2019, 09:01 PM

Interesting perspective Udo, but for me its pretty much about the laurel wreath which is what brought the attention to this figure on the blade in the first place.
True there are surely other possibilities of characters for the wreathed figure but the Leopold suggestion is most compelling and aligns with the particular Germanic features on the sword in entirety (the thumb ring and pommel and branch elements).
I still feel confident that the placement of this sword in the latter 17th is correct, and the Thirty Years war (1618-48) would be a bit early.

31st March 2019, 09:01 PM	#17
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Interesting perspective Udo, but for me its pretty much about the laurel wreath which is what brought the attention to this figure on the blade in the first place. True there are surely other possibilities of characters for the wreathed figure but the Leopold suggestion is most compelling and aligns with the particular Germanic features on the sword in entirety (the thumb ring and pommel and branch elements). I still feel confident that the placement of this sword in the latter 17th is correct, and the Thirty Years war (1618-48) would be a bit early.