Late 19c Italian Sabre

Jim McDougall · 25th July 2009, 03:19 PM

Thanks very much for posting this here as well Kronckew! Italian swords are truly quite esoteric in collecting, and information on them is difficult to come by. With this being the case I have seen instances where these have turned up misidentified as various European swords, such as 19th century Italian sabres mistaken for Hungarian or Austrian forms etc.

The one reference I know of where these are shown is in the 1987 book by Cesare Calamandrei, "Armi Bianche Militari Italiene 1814-1950", published by Editoriale Olimpia (Firenze).

This valuable reference presents outstanding detail and illustrations, which is great as I'm not great at the language but could make pretty good use of the book. It was unfortunately not one of the books I could bring with me when I began this odyssey on the road over two years ago, but I remember the content well, and these attractive hilts are very familiar. I know that your assessment on the approximate date is right, but I cannot say which pattern or branch of use would apply.

The only other reference I can think of which would have these referenced is "Swords in Colour" by Robert Wilkinson-Latham, an great little handbook with great overview on international military patterns. The color plates show groupings of patterns from different countries, and I believe these are in there as well. While the text is brief, it is concisely and well presented, especially considering the scope undertaken by the book, and reflecting the broad base of knowledge of the author.

Hopefully someone out there might collect in this field, and it would be great to get some of the references included in our holdings.

All best regards,
Jim

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Threaded Mode

25th July 2009, 03:19 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Thanks very much for posting this here as well Kronckew! Italian swords are truly quite esoteric in collecting, and information on them is difficult to come by. With this being the case I have seen instances where these have turned up misidentified as various European swords, such as 19th century Italian sabres mistaken for Hungarian or Austrian forms etc. The one reference I know of where these are shown is in the 1987 book by Cesare Calamandrei, "Armi Bianche Militari Italiene 1814-1950", published by Editoriale Olimpia (Firenze). This valuable reference presents outstanding detail and illustrations, which is great as I'm not great at the language but could make pretty good use of the book. It was unfortunately not one of the books I could bring with me when I began this odyssey on the road over two years ago, but I remember the content well, and these attractive hilts are very familiar. I know that your assessment on the approximate date is right, but I cannot say which pattern or branch of use would apply. The only other reference I can think of which would have these referenced is "Swords in Colour" by Robert Wilkinson-Latham, an great little handbook with great overview on international military patterns. The color plates show groupings of patterns from different countries, and I believe these are in there as well. While the text is brief, it is concisely and well presented, especially considering the scope undertaken by the book, and reflecting the broad base of knowledge of the author. Hopefully someone out there might collect in this field, and it would be great to get some of the references included in our holdings. All best regards, Jim