'Rose' Mark on the spine of Solingen blades

[Jim McDougall]

This is an amazing thread, and again Radboud, I thank you for initiating it.
Also,, I am so grateful to see all of these great examples shared here. While as many here know, I have been particularly fascinated by blade markings and motif for many years, so this discussion is especially important to me.

The 'Caissagnard' matter for me evolved from several references in French, where my limited understanding of the language prevented more detailed comprehension of what was mostly comments on the talismanic, occult and arcane motifs on French blades of 18th into early 19th c.

I had presumed the name was to a cutler, but more that it had seemed to become a colloquial term describing these motif elements.

It seems to me quite possible that the blade decoration which includes these unusual squiggles and swirls termed 'roses' at the blade spine near hilt may have been added by cutlers to blades which were essentially 'blanks' from shops in Solingen.

These appear to me to be singular renditions of a basic form in a key location on the blade which represent arcane identification or perhaps other 'magical' or occult symbolism as with sigils and such devices. The term magic should not be taken in the negative connotation often perceived, but more in this arcane sense.
The so called 'anchor' used in the names and motif from Spanish swords and readily adopted by Solingen are an example of this type of nuanced symbolism familiar in cabalistic, talismanic, magic and occult symbolism in sigils and such devices.

Years ago I noticed the 'anchors' often had varied numbers of cross bars and serifs rather than a single pattern, and thought this might be some sort of individual signature subtly placed on a common device by certain makers.
The familiar cross and orb of Germany may have been a variation on these, and various writers have tried to associate certain collectively used devices with specific makers, but this has remained unconvincing.

The features and decorative motif of blades of the 18th c. indeed did diffuse widely through Europe and Great Britain via the rage of military fashion, and these styles of motif were not necessarily applied only in Solingen, but with cutlers and outfitters using imported blades.

Makers stamps and punzones on blades are an entirely different matter than these kinds of applied motif, etching, bluing etc. which were rather custom tailored to those receiving the sword being received from such outfitters.

These are just my opinions on the processing and diffusion of swords of these times circulating with officers in armies of various nations and states. As officers of various countries were often with the armies of foreign nations, it is easy to see how styles and fashion diffused so widely.
The pageantry of military uniforms and fashion in these periods has long been a most popular subject for collectors,artists and historians for these very reasons.

[Radboud]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

This is an amazing thread, and again Radboud, I thank you for initiating it.

Thank you for the comments and feedback Jim.

(The comments below are limited to include a very specific time frame; from about 1770 to around 1820. As technology and the needs of the clientele develop, supply and production methodology develop as well.)

I think the Caissagnard connection is interesting as well, as from the surviving examples we have, it is clear he liked to repeat the same three motifs of sword arm, sun and moon on his blades.

This is the information I have on Caissagnard, who worked as a furbisher

CASSAIGNARD
Pierre Cassaignard was born in 1708 and died in September 1786. In 1734-1737, he was appointed juror of the Maîtres arquebusiers. It was his son (first name unknown) who settled in Nantes where he worked as a furbisher from 1774 to 1812. The signatures are handwritten with embellished capital letters and found as follows:

Cassaignard / Md / Fourbisseaur / a Nantes
- A Marine officers sabre
Cassaignard / Fourbisseur / du Roy / a Nantes
- A sabre a brass hilt
Cassaignard / Fourbisseur / du Roy / a Nantes
- On the ricasso as for the previous inscriptions and higher
a la victoire
- Ensign (trade name?) of Cassaignard on the blued smallsword possibly for a Marine officer
Cassaignard / Fourbisseur / du Roy / Maitre arquebussier / pres la Bourse / a Nantes
- On a sabre belonging to an officer of Marine troops engraved with sun, moons, stars
Cassagnard / Fourbisseur / du Roy / et Arquebussier pres la Bourse / a Nantes
- Note different spelling of name, found on small sword with pas d ane guard 1755 - 1780

Armes Blanches
Symbolisme, Inscriptions, Marquages, Fourbisseurs, Manufactures
By Jean L'Hoste and Jean-Jacques Buigne
Pg. 181

As a furbisher Cassaignard is unlikely to have manufactured his own blades. So then the question is, did he source complete swords or blank blades and apply the fittings and decorations himself, or did he acquire the blades decorated to his specifications and then apply the fittings? Keep in mind that he also sold firearms, making it less likely he did any work himself, acting more as an outfitter than a producer.

While admittedly, my understanding of the process that turned steel into a complete sword ready for sale is limited, I do know that it involved several stages with components passing through multiple hands (even borders) along the way (the extreme example of this is Indian steel getting used on a Viking sword, so it's been this way for centuries). We also see the growth of complementary industries building around key competencies. Such as steel works and bladesmiths in Toledo around high-quality ore deposits.

It is reasonable then to assume that if the Solingen blade smiths didn't decorate their works themselves, there would have been craftsmen on hand to pass them on to, along with cutlers to fit the grips and scabbards. This group of craftsmen would then have worked hand in hand with the authorised merchants to facilitate the negotiations between client and producer.

The actual decorations were applied with a stencil, so it wouldn't have been too difficult for a customer and middleman to agree to a design and then order a quantity of blades complete with decoration. We see evidence of this in the indifferent spelling of English names on Solingen-produced blades of the 19th Century.

I personally still believe that a good number of Solingen exported blades were supplied complete with decoration applied. I'm sure they supplied blanks as well, being merchants first and foremost, but the large number of surviving blades with very similar decorations that can be attributed to Solingen, but used by different countries makes this the most plausible explanation.

Especially when the local craftsmen have a distinct fashion of their own. The most striking example of this is the J J Runkel imported blades. Aside from the GR cypher and the British Coat of Arms, the decorations on these blades are strikingly plain against what the British sword makers are producing, with their charging horsemen, angelic figures and Britania with her shield. The same can be said when we compare the two S&K swords shown above against their French-made contemporaries. They look like mass-produced swords kept as generic as possible to appeal to a larger number of buyers.