Antique Chinese QiJia Saber

[Philip]

Let's see if I have it right. There should be a pic of 3 sabers showing the bifurcation of a single wider channel as interpreted by swordsmiths in different cultures. The bare blade at the top is Chinese, probably 18th cent., the saber in the middle is Polish from a century earlier, and the shorter one at bottom is from Vietnam, early 19th cent. Each blade is a different size and contour to suit the needs of the culture that used them, but this one element of the fullering is pretty constant. The same blade as on the Polish saber can also be found mounted up as a kilij in the Ottoman Empire.

[Philip]

Thanks, Rick, for the tech tip.
Getting back to my earlier post, here are several examples of the forte sections of Chinese saber blades of the 17th-18th cent. (apologies for the one at far right, the curvature looks funny because of parallax, didn't adjust lens accordingly). You will find one format or another (fullers and chiseled decor) on any number of saber blades from Mamluk Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Iran, and Mughal India, made between the 16th to 18th cents. There are other common elements to be found as well, including sharpened back-edges (in effect creating a double-edged point), the sleeves with scalloped profiles at the base of blades, etc. which also demonstrate the profound influence of western Asian traditions on Chinese armaments.