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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 181
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Recently I finally was lucky enough to add a Nimcha to my collection, not the fancy Moroccan dagger that goes by the name, but the sword. According to the tag that accompanied it, it was originally purchased in 1980 from a Berber family in the mountains outside of Morocco, and was attributed to being 150 years old at that time (sorry about the blurriness on the first couple of shots, I forgot to reset from macro):
![]() ![]() The metalwork is solid, high-content German silver, completely engraved on both sides of the scabbard. Whoever the artist was, he was REALLY into detail! What does puzzle me, though, is this: I'm familiar with the tradition that calls for European blades to be remounted in the traditional hilts, but every one I've seen prior to this has had a blade in good to excellent condition mounted in the fittings. This is definitely NOT the case here: ![]() The blade was cleaned prior to being fitted in its new furniture, but prior to that had been horribly neglected for a very long time. It also has the maltese crosses and crescent moons that are supposedly significant as to its origins? ![]() And finally, the blade was originally longer, a true saber blade of some sort, and was shortened and given a true thrusting tip: ![]() So, any ideas? My own wild speculation is that the original blade belonged to a trophy that was of great significance to the owner, otherwise I can't imagine why such elaborate fittings would've been put on such a battered blade. Fenris |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Idaho, USA
Posts: 227
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Looks like a European blade to me that was broken and then re-pointed. Is the scabbard longer than the blade?
bbjw |
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#3 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,189
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Just remember that "German Silver" is a nickel/copper mix and no actual silver is present.
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#4 | |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 181
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#5 | |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 181
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#6 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,189
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A polishing cloth can make German silver shine too. A jeweler can test for copper or silver content.
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#7 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,875
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Hi Fenris,
The mounts on this 'nimcha' are fantastic! and the old European trade blade is intriguing. It is interesting that, as you note, such a worn blade would be placed in such sumptuous mounts. However, European blades were of course the much sought after standard, and were typically remounted numerous times over thier working life, which of course extends well into the 20th century. I have gone through quite a number of resources concerning those markings, and have not yet been successful in finding the 'quatrefoil' arrangement of these presumably Spanish (Cross of Santiago) type crosses, along with the crescent moon. I have however found similar crosses in linear arrangement over a crescent moon, also on a similar European trade blade, and on a nimcha of the form attributed typically to trade between Zanzibar and Arabia (Yemen specifically). It seems worthy of note here that the 'four crosses' in that arrangement is seen in the regalia of Moorish Spain, on the hilt of the sword of Boabdil (Abu 'abd Allah Muhammed XII) , the last Emir before the fall of the Moors there. The very ornate Hispano-Moresque hilt has four crosses in its motif surrounding the eight pointed Islamic star. Perhaps this motif may have some significance in what appear to be applied by local armourer in the Maghreb. It seems plausible that that arrangement might have been known through trade items coming in from Spain, and may have provided influence. The reprofiling of the blade seems to be perhaps intended to approach the fine point of the Berber flyssa, and it would seem that reprofiling blades is a practice not unusual for Berber armourers. This of course recalls the sabres that have been attributed to Berbers in Morocco with the heavily profiled tips on old British M1796 light cavalry blades, although the case on that Moroccan attribution remains somewhat speculative. Outstanding piece!!! All the best, Jim |
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#8 |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
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Hello,
About the quatrefoil mark, in my mind it is similar to that on the koummiya posted by berberdagger: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3996 In which case the Raisuli link surfaces again. Regards, Emanuel |
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#9 | |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 181
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Thank you for the information as to the possible sources for the markings on the blade. I wish the initial buyer had asked more questions of the Berber family from whom he purchased it, or if he did, had recorded the information. All I have is that the family lived in the mountains, but which mountains? At this point it is of course nothing more than pure speculation, but I can only believe that the blade was some form of family heirloom with significance to its owner beyond its basic function. At least no other theory I can think of would explain the huge difference between the opulence of the fittings and the decidedly 'shaggy dog' nature of the blade. I'm still figuring out how to get the best pics possible out of my little digital camera. As soon as I manage some better ones of the marks on the blade I'll post them, as well as a better series of pics of the engraving on the scabbard and hilt. Thanks again for your help! Fenris |
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#10 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,875
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Thanks very much Fenris! I'll be looking forward to those photos, and I'll keep looking for more on the markings, and if I can find other similar.
All the best, Jim |
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