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#1 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,896
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 76
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 403
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"Here another example of a Dragon ( Monster) head from an english? hanger.I would date it around 1700.Certainly it has a hunting sword or short side arm background.The Dragon is a symbol for strength,might and wisdom in the time of baroque."
If it's a hunting hangar, which it is, it could easily be the head of a hunting hound. Best wishes Richard |
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#4 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,896
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 253
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What a lovely sword Jerseyman, I agree with you that it’s 18th Century my vote would be for the mid 1700s. It might be early 19th Century, but going by the style of the hilt I personally doubt it, typically at the late stage of the century we see the urn and cushion pommels.
To my eye the hilt on your sword looks like a cross between a spadroon and smallsword with that pommel. Does the blade have any decorations? There is always the possibility that it belonged to a gentleman than a military officer. |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NC, U.S.A.
Posts: 2,087
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Hello, sorry to come in late on this one. What a great spadroon! Very nice form! Most of the others have filled in a lot of the blanks already (obviously a spadroon, mid to late 18th), but I was wondering if there is any chance this might not be an English example, but Dutch?
The Dutch used spadroons like the English, even supplying their officers with models in the early 19th. The shagreen/rayskin wrapped hilt were also seen in the Dutch market and when you consider the dragon motiff, there could be a possile Ceylonese connection, as the Dutch were much taken by the 'oriental styling' (see European Swords/Anthony North, pg 30, specifically example 63 with a dragon motiff to the knuckle bow nearest the grip end). Just guessing here, so no shade if I'm off base! ![]() |
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#7 | |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,896
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Excellent suggestion Capn!!! The Dutch and English examples in swords ran remarkably close, as per Aylward (1945) with the connections via monarchy, trade etc. As you note, those 'monster' heads were of course well known in England, and the English were well acquainted with the Sinhalese kastane which of course carried these makara and yali zoomorphics. |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 97
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Thank you everyone for the thought-provoking information and opinions. The possible Dutch angle hadn't occurred to me and is something I'll look into with interest. I think there may well be something in the civilian gentleman angle. I do have smallswords with similar pommels. I don't have this spadroon to hand but as I remember there are no engravings on the blade. I'll have to dig into Aylward and see what correlations I can find.
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