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Originally Posted by fernando
A rather elegant sword you got there, Dana.
You are right in that the flukes are too close from the guard, thus prevent the user from the option of holding the sword by the ricasso whith one of the hands, a typical feature in these swords.
I follow Jim's thought on its age. It looks like the biscione is not so aged. However, Jim ... this being an early XIX century replica, how do you distinguish its difference from a Victorian copy, when its period is about the same ... or not ?
Is it that i didn't quite understand the contents of your post ?  |
Thank you Fernando, and actually by the time I wrote this it was late and I did not reread my text effectively enough. I have always thought of the period term 'Victorian' as a British description as Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1901, and have not regarded other European kingdoms and city states or principalities as of that character. However it is true that the British fascination with copied arms and armour often included the outstanding work of Ernst Schmitt of Munich and there were quite likely other European ateliers as well.
I had thought of the early 19th century in assessing approximate age of this sword in terms of much of Northern Italy at that time having largely Napoleonic perspective. It seems I had not reached enough perspective in the research I had been doing before writing to adequately address that potential.
In these times in Italy and well into the 19th century up to the unification there was of course a great deal of nationalistic fervor and I believe that Napoleon had created Milan as a capital of these northern regions. Im not sure just how this kind of apparantly commemorative weapon might have been created for palacial guards or other official capacities in this rather turbulent period but seems worth looking into. As always, I look forward to other views on this.
All the best,
Jim