A pair of Chinese sword

Miguel · 20th July 2016, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miguel

Nice pair of swords Benny I always wondered who used them now I know. You have posted some very interesting weapons I like the Dragon Mace very much. Thank you for sharing them. I have some Chinese swords which I will post shortly and would value your comments on them.
Regards
Miguel

Hello Benny and RSword Chinese swords as promised, I hope you like them and can give some idea of use and age. I believe they are all Qing (Manchu) dynasty varying from 19th to early 20th C. The first three are called Jian, I believe and the forth is a Dao.

No1: O/L 24 ins, blade length 18 ins x 1.625 ins wide.

No2: O/L 21.25 ins, blade length 15.5 ins x 1 ins wide

Miguel · 20th July 2016, 08:04 PM

No3: )/L 22 ins, blade length 16 ins x 1.125 ins wide

Miguel · 20th July 2016, 08:10 PM

No 4: O/L 36 ins, blade length 29 ins x 1.625 ins wide

RSWORD · 22nd July 2016, 02:36 AM

Hi Miguel,

Thanks for sharing your examples. They are all of the period you suspect which is 19th to turn of the century. The short jian are civilian swords and of the form that was most heavily brought back by soldiers of other countries of various campaigns. I have seen an example deposited in a museum that was gifted in the early 19th century but most date to the second half of the 19th to early part of the 20th century. The quality of these vary greatly. Both in the fittings to the blades. Over the years I have seen blades that might work well as a paper opener to well forged laminated blades. I have also run across older blades mounted in these fittings. The last example you show seems to have a well forged laminated blade. You can see the Hamon along the edge and the body of the blade shows some lamination. The middle example has an unusual blade but seems to show some evidence of a Hamon and lamination. The first example posted doesn't exhibit a Hamon or laminations from what can be seen in the pictures. Closer examination might tell a different story.

The dao is late 19th to early 20th century and seems to be village quality. The fullers on the blade are very uneven and sloppy and the blade looks lumpy like it hasn't been ground properly. You find lots of these village level swords produced during the boxer rebellion.

Miguel · 22nd July 2016, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSWORD

Hi Miguel,

Thanks for sharing your examples. They are all of the period you suspect which is 19th to turn of the century. The short jian are civilian swords and of the form that was most heavily brought back by soldiers of other countries of various campaigns. I have seen an example deposited in a museum that was gifted in the early 19th century but most date to the second half of the 19th to early part of the 20th century. The quality of these vary greatly. Both in the fittings to the blades. Over the years I have seen blades that might work well as a paper opener to well forged laminated blades. I have also run across older blades mounted in these fittings. The last example you show seems to have a well forged laminated blade. You can see the Hamon along the edge and the body of the blade shows some lamination. The middle example has an unusual blade but seems to show some evidence of a Hamon and lamination. The first example posted doesn't exhibit a Hamon or laminations from what can be seen in the pictures. Closer examination might tell a different story.

The dao is late 19th to early 20th century and seems to be village quality. The fullers on the blade are very uneven and sloppy and the blade looks lumpy like it hasn't been ground properly. You find lots of these village level swords produced during the boxer rebellion.

Hello RSWORD,

Thank you very much for your most informative reply it is most appreciated. I now Know a good deal more about my swords than I did before.
Regards
Miguel

20th July 2016, 08:04 PM	#2
Miguel Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 584	No3: )/L 22 ins, blade length 16 ins x 1.125 ins wide Attached Images

20th July 2016, 08:10 PM	#3
Miguel Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 584	No 4: O/L 36 ins, blade length 29 ins x 1.625 ins wide Attached Images

22nd July 2016, 02:36 AM	#4
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,087	Hi Miguel, Thanks for sharing your examples. They are all of the period you suspect which is 19th to turn of the century. The short jian are civilian swords and of the form that was most heavily brought back by soldiers of other countries of various campaigns. I have seen an example deposited in a museum that was gifted in the early 19th century but most date to the second half of the 19th to early part of the 20th century. The quality of these vary greatly. Both in the fittings to the blades. Over the years I have seen blades that might work well as a paper opener to well forged laminated blades. I have also run across older blades mounted in these fittings. The last example you show seems to have a well forged laminated blade. You can see the Hamon along the edge and the body of the blade shows some lamination. The middle example has an unusual blade but seems to show some evidence of a Hamon and lamination. The first example posted doesn't exhibit a Hamon or laminations from what can be seen in the pictures. Closer examination might tell a different story. The dao is late 19th to early 20th century and seems to be village quality. The fullers on the blade are very uneven and sloppy and the blade looks lumpy like it hasn't been ground properly. You find lots of these village level swords produced during the boxer rebellion.