Unusual nimcha blade: need help
 

Here is a run-of-the-mill Moroccan Nimcha.
One unusual thing about it is its blade.
As a rule, Nimchas carry curved saber blade, and the majority I have encountered thus far are European trade examples.
This one has straight blade with large false edge. Also, locally-made blades have 3 narrow fullers. This one has 7.
The fullering and the false edge ( and, to a much less degree, straight construction) are very different from the usual local pattern. No markings to claim European origin.

Is this a more sophisticated local production?
Or, trade European blade with no markings?

Ariel,
The number of fullers seem to be very big, but what about the ricasso?
As you know I do know very little about these swords.
Jens

How about a close up of the blade far to the right, where the fullers converge.

Hi Ariel
I've seen many straight blades on nimchas, it's not uncommon,
most of the time old imported blades
But I can't say nothing about this blade.
Kubur

Here is the distal part of the blade with converging fullers.
I checked all my Arabian swords, including 2 Nimchas from Morocco: none of them have a ricasso, including trade European blades.

Ariel, glad you acquired this sword and thank you for sharing it here for discussion. From what I remember from the auction pictures you have also done an excellent job cleaning it. I wonder if the blade could be Indian due to the ricasso and the uneven fullering.

Teodor

That's what i was daring to guess ... on an uneducated basis, though.

Me too, Indian is reasonnable.
Now the question is do you think that the blade was added by a collector recently or in Morocco in the 18th 19th c.?
I'm very suspicious about an Indian blade on a Moroccan nimcha...

Guys,
Ricasso serves as a differentiating sign only between Indian and Persian Shamshir blades. Many European blades had ricasso and I wonder whether Indians not borrowed the idea of a ricasso from Europe.
I will have to look at my Indian straight- bladed ones.
Thanks to Jens for his gentle hint.
Fernando, did the converging fullers help you?
TVV, the cleaning job has just begun:-) Its wooden handle is dirty, dry and cracked, and has a lot of nasty thin splinters and worm holes. I will have to polish it, otherwise I would not be able to hold it without thick gloves. Then the natural wood color will disappear. Would staining it ( say, dark mahogany) be appropriate? Also, would filling the holes with stainable filler be OK?

Kubur,
No worry here about recent manipulations. It is all as original, as the moment it was created.

But I share your doubt about the Indian origin of the blade. I tend to think it is one of the multiple trade European ones and that is exactly why I posted it here.

As i said, just an un-educated guess. One based on sight of some Indian fullering fashion, as seen, for one, in page 105 of Jorge Caravana collection catalogue (Rites of Power), which i assume you have a copy. But probably this is the wrong issue.


-

Yes, I do. I even have an identical one:-)
But this is a Tanjore katar commonly attributable to 16 century with a triangular form. One cannot have any other fullering.
We are talking about later swords, don’t we?

Any similar sword examples from 18-9 century?

I am not trying to be stubborn, just want to get to the bottom of it if possible.
I asked an acquaintance of mine who is very good in European swords, but he couldn’t place it.

Could the moderator create a link to the European section of this Forum?

It may be copied, yes.

I warned you i might be talking nonsense :o ; notwithstanding that i was more foccusing on the fullers convergence as being an aesthetical option; i realized that even in the katar they could as well just fade away instead of all meeting together.

The swords yes but, as you know, nimcha blades can be rather early ones; and at the end of the day, it is more plausible that the blade of yours is European, as it seems to happen all the time.

Thanks for connecting my query to the European Forum.

So, my question to the European specialists: any examples of similar blades in the European arsenal?

Hi Ariel,
Scottish backswords and broadswords are well known for multi fullered blades. These blades are European in origin with lots from the Solingen manufactories. Some have fullering the length of the blade and a ricasso similar to your blade but the vast majority I have seen tend to have some sort of markings. When I initially saw your blade my first thought was India and I'm still drawn to that source for this blade but who knows. Nice item regardless.
My Regards,
Norman.

I'm relatively sure, that we see a blade of local production.

The fullers are to uneven for European production.

Please compare your fullers with the fullers of my Jiboula.


Roland

Here is one of my Indian swords with a similar multi fullered straight blade .