Dating and determination of origin of a sabre with a lion-snake mount

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Richard R.

Thank you very much for the interesting and profound hints and contributions.

The scabbard has no signature. The picture below shows a section of the blade decoration.

P.S. I must admit that it is not easy for me to write in English and I hope that my thoughts and contributions are understandable enough. I would like to apologise in advance for any misunderstandings.

Richard, you are actually doing very well with the English!
I will say again, and as previously noted, Mark's instincts (post #2) were spot on, this is French. I have it on good authority that the solid brass (again as Mark noted) is very much an indicator of French origin.

I was informed that the 'stipple' design in the blade ornamentation is something French of late 18th-early 19th c.

The circular rosettes with floral pattern are similar to others seen on French scabbards (the ones I have seen less petals).

The absence of maker/cutler names on scabbard eliminates British origin with very rare exception from this period. Solid brass scabbard suggests French.

The clipped point on the blade is more of Continental form, being more dramatic...the typically German made blades on British swords with this feature seem more elongated (note the point in my post #13, same type clipped point).

It seems I have seen this kind of lioness or maneless cat head somewhere, but of course unable to locate.

These unusual and sometimes 'one off' French officers swords are hard to pinpoint by comparison to others as there was not a standard run of any one pattern in these 'artistic' circumstances. Just as in England, the themes were typically neoclassic Greek allegories from that mythology in this period (1800-16).