Hi mates, your algerian/french blacksmith here with you !
This is what I call a "curved flissa dagger", by opposition to the straight ones, that are mostly, in my thought, real weapons. Those ones used to be called "flissa de mariage" due to their use for ceremonies, actually also for some dignitaries, or religious/important people. lot of difference between them, even for some same age models, straight are the smaller copy of a flissa saber, no guard, a thick forged bolster, the classic brass covered wooden "zoomorphic" handle, etc... those are real knives. But even in curved ones, has some exception, that took that same style, no guard, big bolster, etc.. those are few, but I think that are also genuine weapons (also sometimes a good quality steel).
SO WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE ? Well, this is a bit more complex than Camille LACOSTE wrote in her book, for the simple reason that she was not algerian, and only refers to what french saw after colonisation, so after 1830. But lot of those curved models are from this era, or even before. If a lot of those ones are clearly made for tourism (late time of colonisation), they are obviously herited from another kind of daggers, probably more close to a khandjar, under ottoman era (lot of pictures, painting to proov that), that has already that "nimcha" handle shape, but on a smaller sword.
So what about the iflissen ? As mentionned by PERTINAX, those ARE NOT the only, and probably even not the ones who made the flissa (remember that even this name is given by french.. algerian only call that a saber). So if there is here obviously some KABYLE heritage in the craftmanship, this kind of dagger has actually not a lot of thing to deal with a flissa, and as mentionned, a lot of them where made in the south, in Bousaada, another big pole of algerian cutlery (cf khodmi bousaadi).
WELL, BUT THIS MODEL PARTICULARLY, is very, very rare... keep it safe !! You have here the typical "filigrane" work, that made famous the tribe of AITH YENI from kabylie . They where mentionned by LACOSTE as another source of flissa making, but those are actually great jewelers (introduced sylver in the south, and many skills, even to touaregs for centuries) and masters in metal work, so they obvioulsy became more productive for those prestigious models. They sometimes only made a mount for an already forged sword, to add more luxury to it.
Well, sorry if Im not very clear, but I hope I will be in my incoming book about algerian weapons (huh... 2 yrs and still struggling
), but just to say, that if a lot of collector place those models in "decorativ" place, nothing say that they wasn't used by their first owner as real defensive weapons... just remember than before 1830 (so before french, and actually maybe not before 1903, when "algeria was pacified"), NOTHING, was "only" decorativ.
Here is some pictures from mine, the daggers are mine, and will be well detailled in my book inshallah
The set that display that same kind of work is sold by an auction house Ive asked for permission for my book, so please people dont share.., and obvioulsy algerian (note those 3 straigh flissa daggers), is to show that this work, dont necessary mean a "decorative" weapon, but just, in this era of algeria, a prestigious one.
Best regards