"Eastern" sword: need opinions

ariel · 23rd March 2007, 04:38 PM

Just ended.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7824&rd=1&rd=1
I am puzzled: the entire sword looks very European to me, with a military blade, kind of a standard " Mameluke saber" used by the French, the British and by who knows who else.
However...
The blade bears very strange markings: the Turk Head, the coat of arms, the garland, the Passau/Solingen "Man-in-the-Moon" and a cartouche with inscription. Total smorgasboard...
All very crudely incised, the incisions intrude on the cutting edge, the cartouche has totally indecipherable text etc.
The impression is that the markings were done by a Non-European who wanted this sword to pass for an European one. But why? Had it been genuinely European, there must have been some Euro markings, and the entire style suggest its Occidental origin. Why gild the lily?
Or, is it, in fact, a truly Oriental sword embellished to look " firangi"?
Total confusion.....

23rd March 2007, 04:38 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	"Eastern" sword: need opinions Just ended. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...7824&rd=1&rd=1 I am puzzled: the entire sword looks very European to me, with a military blade, kind of a standard " Mameluke saber" used by the French, the British and by who knows who else. However... The blade bears very strange markings: the Turk Head, the coat of arms, the garland, the Passau/Solingen "Man-in-the-Moon" and a cartouche with inscription. Total smorgasboard... All very crudely incised, the incisions intrude on the cutting edge, the cartouche has totally indecipherable text etc. The impression is that the markings were done by a Non-European who wanted this sword to pass for an European one. But why? Had it been genuinely European, there must have been some Euro markings, and the entire style suggest its Occidental origin. Why gild the lily? Or, is it, in fact, a truly Oriental sword embellished to look " firangi"? Total confusion.....