Nimcha for Comments and Musings on Nimchas

[David R]

Originally Posted by TVV

In the Malta Armory, among the many nimchas there is one with a D-ring, but it is there nonetheless. These swords were trophies of the knights of St. John, captured in naval battles in the Mediterranean, in a period from the 16th to the late 18th centuries (the order seized to exist after that courtesy of Napoleon). So there are most certainly Maghrebi nimchas with this feature. The lovely example in the Hofburg (also shown in Claude's great book) also has a D-ring and since it is probably connected to the Habsburgs, it likely came from the Mediterranean too (and it is decorated in an Ottoman style).

When it comes to guard and quillon style, I wonder if the approach of trying to differentiate on a purely regional basis is flawed as some variations may be chronological in character.

Regards,
Teodor

A big thank you for posting those in the top photo. All too often we see only the "pretty" examples, rather than the workaday ones carried by the majority.