European Officer's Sword ?

[rickystl]

Hello ALL

Blades are not at the top of my collecting interest, but I do own a few. So I thought I would come here to the experts. This is for a friend. Trying to I.D. this sword. No scabbard. Only have these photos. Thanks for any help.
Blade is 31 3/4" long, 3/4" wide, with a double fuller that runs 10" from the hilt. My guess is it is some type of dress sword (?) But really have no idea.

Rick

[rickystl]

Forgot to post photos....

[werecow]

I could be wrong but it looks to me like an 18th c French or English silver hilted smallsword possibly with an earlier rapier blade.

[rickystl]

Originally Posted by werecow

I could be wrong but it looks to me like an 18th c French or English silver hilted smallsword possibly with an earlier rapier blade.

Even being a novice with blades, I wondered about that myself. The blade style and width at the hilt looks more like a rapier blade than the blades you typically see on these "court style" small swords. But it's attractive looking. Maybe a 17th Century blade and an 18th Century hilt ? Or am I wishing for too much ? LOL
I'm going to try and buy this sword.

Rick

[rickystl]

"Is the blade on your friend's sword etched? Mine is, but it doesn't show any marker's marks, though the work is quite nice. Long-tailed, parrot-like birds are depicted on both sides, but in different scenes. Sadly, the pommel nut is absent"

I have not personally seen the sword yet. But from the one photo it looks like a fairly heavy patina. Looks like I'll have to buy the sword to find out any etching. LOL

Rick

[Jim McDougall]

I have been intrigued by Spanish colonial swords virtually most of my life, and last year I wrote a paper on the short swords of Mexico and Alta California of the mod 18th into 19th c. known as 'espada anchas'.

For some time now I have been working on a paper on the 'long swords' of the caballeros, which actually is focused on the dress or court type swords which were the formal swords held by these Espagnol gentlemen. It is known that the 'Dons' had full length broadswords mounted under left leg attached to saddle for self defense on the trails or other riding. However these man were in varied degree skilled swordsmen, and jealously guarded the honor of themselves and their family.
Despite little recorded evidence of duels, if any, we know these men had traditional gentlemans swords of the times which would have been used on the field of honor if required.
While it is tempting to presume the familiar Spanish cup hilt would be the sword of choice in such instance, it is more probable that such swords would be one of these.......the small sword (ESPADIN in Spanish).

This example is remarkably similar to the top sword in plate 192, in "Spanish Military Weapons in Colonial America 1700-1821" (Brinckerhoff & Chamberlain , 1972, p.98). Here it is noted that these type of hilts similar to German and French of smallsword type of third quarter 18th century were used by Spanish .colonial officers in America
These had 17th century rapier blades mounted, and as these, seem to have been mounted in Mexico, with these blades from Toledo.

The example shown has a German made rapier blade which is likely from early to mid 18th century, and as often the case, uses spurious Spanish marks and names. TOMAS AIALA was a famed Toledo maker of the late 16th c. and his name used, as here on this blade, for over a century later. In typical German manner, this was more a provacative brand name. On the obverse side "IN TOLEDO".
"...every man had a good Spanish blade from Toledo"
-Don Antonio Francisco Coronel, Alta California


While these German rapier blades with spurious Spanish names are found in various cases on transitional rapiers earlier through the 17th century, it is most unusual to find one mounted on a latter 18th century smallsword.
By this time, the ubiquitous trefoil (three face) blade was the standard, and the transitional rapier period had long passed.

Only with the Spanish proclivity to traditiion in their swordsmanship would a rapier blade appear in a smallsword hilt this late (c. 1780-1810), and of course most probably in colonial regions, such as Alta California.

[Radboud]

That is a lovely smallsword your friend has.

Regrettably it is often difficult to pin these down to a specific model or country since they were private purchase worn by both officers and gentlemen of wealth. And cutlers would offer their clients catalogues of hilts that they could choose from.

However this sword does have a couple of features that help narrow it down. The way the knucklebow is attached to the pommel is more typical to Dutch / Spanish and German smallswords. Plus some of the drecorations; the twisted section in the knucklebow and the boatshell guard with the boarder are similar to the Dutch Army officers' swords of 1770 - 1800.

There was a discussion on these swords on the International Antique Sword Collectors group over on Facebook that featured a couple of swords similar to you friends'.

Dutch Army Officer's smallsword circa 1770 - 1800:






Similar more ornate swords that could possibly have belonged to higher ranked officers? (Pure speculation):

[MacCathain]

Rick:

I have a somewhat similar piece, shown in the admittedly poor photo below. It is, as others have already said, a bit hard to tie down to one place or another. Mine, however, features what I think is a rather worn rooster motif on the pommel, which leads me to think it may originate from French, or possibly Belgian, regions. The trefoil blade is 30 inches in length.

Also attached is a page from Bashford Dean's Court Swords and Hunting Swords that shows swords with features attributed to Scandinavian weapons of the 1780s. The design features are quite similar.

Is the blade on your friend's sword etched? Mine is, but it doesn't show any marker's marks, though the work is quite nice. Long-tailed, parrot-like birds are depicted on both sides, but in different scenes. Sadly, the pommel nut is absent.

M