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Originally Posted by Marcus
I have the sword now. The blade does want some attention. It was in worse condition than shown in the vendor's pictures with a couple areas of red rust that I have attended to. I'll spend some more time with it next weekend. In the meantime, I have a question to put to the group.
Does anyone know the origin or significance to the tassel shaped finials on the quillons?
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These quillon finials are rather distinctively characteristic of the 'paluoar' hilt form associated with Afghan regions, and actually despite their ultra stylized features, are not representative of tassels.
Actually they seem to recall early Ottoman influences, as often entwined with Central Asian traditional symbolisms which look often to Timurid origins.
These quillon terminals, though in many cases seen as stylized zoomorphic figures such as Makara or dragon heads, are described by David Alexander as representing pierced and lobed palmette tips.
( " The Silver Dragon and the Golden Fish: An Imperial Ottoman Symbol", Gladius, XXIII, 2003, fig.10,11; pp238-239).
It seems these might be considered equally Persian influences as filtered through Ottoman circumstances.