Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Actually this style of engraved motif is a theme termed 'Caissignard' and seems to have been prevalent in Nantes, France in the mid to latter 18th c.
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This is an interesting observation. When I was researching my Cassaignard sword, most examples with his name feature the same three icons; the 'Sword arm from the cloud', 'Man in the sun' and 'Man in the moon'. I took this to indicate that he used pre-decorated blades imported from Solingen based supplier rather than the style originating from him or Nantes.
I’ve seen these motifs, plus the 'Turks head', the 'Charging Hussar' and more, in various styles on swords from multiple countries. I was under the impression that these were a general fashion statement rather than specific to a region. The physical evidence also suggests that Solingen blade makers were happy to supply blades that were fully decorated with whatever markings the customer wanted, including the clients' name (where the client could be a cutler such as Cassaignard, or a wholesaler like S&K or J J Runkel).
The most compelling evidence for this are the blades imported by J J Runkel into the United Kingdom circa 1790 - 1808. I have four swords by different cutlers that use a Runkel-supplied blade, and each has the same generic decoration. All carry the GR cypher and the Royal Coat of Arms which must have been applied at the time the rest of the decorations were, meaning it happened prior to import.
Coming back to the ‘Turks head,’ these and other cabalistic iconography (including a charging Hussar) also feature on the British 1788 Light cavalry trooper sabres that were made in Solingen and imported by J J Runkel at the end of the 18th Century:
This French (possibly Dutch) Côtes de Melon style light cavalry officers' sabre also has a blade with a 'Turks head', yet was made in Solingen as evidenced by the 'Rose' on the spine.
