A Spanish machete (part II) - looking for a few good sleuths

[not2sharp]

We have talked about this item in the past; But, I was able to get some more interesting photos todays so it is probably worth looking at it again.

To begin with, this is a custom made piece produced by The Fabrica National De Toledo in 1858. It is loosely based on the artillery machete produced at the time, but is elaborately decorated and mounted in heavily tooled steel inlayed with goldleaf. The right face of the blade is decorated with a crest, the angel Gabriel (?), the Facade of the Fabrica Nacional de Toledo, and the Alcazar (palace of kings)





Today I was able to add these additional photos which show the reverse side of the blade, a second crest, and the initials located on the cross guard (E.^o Z.) which were probably the initials of the craftman who actually made the piece.



The crests are particularly interesting; I am not into heraldry, but they seem very similar to the crests for Sevilla, and for Torres.





There is also this angelic image; and I am not sure what to make of it.



This looks to be some form of presentation piece. We know when and where it was made, but do we have enough infomation to figure out why and for whom?

n2s

[Marc]

Yes, it's the typical presentation piece, done with quite an overload of etching, engraving and damascening. The Fabrica de Toledo (Toledo's Factory, owned and operated by the military/government and source of tpractically all the regulations patterns of bladed implements for the Spanish military since late 18th c.), besides their regular products, also produced presentation/decoration weapons, many of them imitating "historical" weapons. This one seems to be modeled after a pioneer's side weapon. pattern M1830-ish, I think, I don't have my bibliography at hand, and pattern weapons are not a field of particular interest for me, I'm afraid.

As a side note, the oval crest is a variation of the one found in the Army banners after, I think, the eighteen forties: the Royal Arms reduced to the symbols of Castilla and León, with the Bourbon ecusson and the Granada peak, under the roayl crown. The one in the banners frequently is located over a Burgundy (st. Andrew's) Cross. I think this could be the crest for the Artillery, which was, by the way, the branch of the army that operated the Fábrica.

The other crest, with the double-headed eagle, is the crest for the city of Toledo.

[tom hyle]

Nice sword. Instant reply. Nice
That's the typical one, huh?
Dang: really makes me want to see the special ones.

[not2sharp]

Marc,

Thanks for the input. Have you other FAB Toledo presentations pieces like this? It would be interesting to see some other work by this particular artist ( whomever E.^o Z. was)

n2s

[Marc]

Originally Posted by not2sharp

Marc,

Thanks for the input. Have you other FAB Toledo presentations pieces like this? It would be interesting to see some other work by this particular artist ( whomever E.^o Z. was)

n2s

I might also have an answer to this question... Having taken a closer look to the pics (I must say the first intervention was done a bit on the fly) I have to say that this one is anything but "typical" (Sorry, Tom. ). First of all, variations of the same pattern were issued to various corps, but given the shape of the pommel, I would say that this is a presentation version of the Artillery Machete M1843.



Anyway, the details of whom or why it was commisioned for are probably hidden among the decoration. No garantees, of course, but in any event better pictures of all the inscriptions (like those in the ricasso) could help in this regard.
By the way, chances are that this work comes from the workshop of Eusebio Zuloaga (hence the Eº / Z), the most famous of the Spanish damasceners, who lived between 1808 and 1898 and the last man who held the Title of Arcabucero Real ("Royal Arquebussier"). It doesn't necessarily has to be from his hands, as he personally tended to sign with his full surname, but... well, it could be. Of course, to be sure, or to discard a good imitation, a closer inspection would be needed.

Nice find, I must say. Very, very nice.

By the way, Tom, here's another "special one" for you...


Courtesy of the soon-to-be-disbanded Army Museum in Madrid. You can't imagine how much many of us will miss it...

This one is from Eusebio Zuloaga himself, a present from Queen Isabel II of Spain to Ramón María de Narváez, Duke of Valencia, in 1848. I know it's not an style one could call discreet, but it was period fashion...