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Originally Posted by urbanspaceman
Incidentally, the parts of the hilt commonly referred to as Pas D'ane should more accurately be called 'Branches' according to Aylward, and were there specifically to support the shell.
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I also agree, this appears to be a dress sword worn more as a fashion accoutrement than a weapon, however of course, could function if called upon.
As the industrial age progressed, of course there was a decline in the craftsmanship and the quality was affected accordingly.
This is a most interesting note on the nomenclature of these hilts, and the term pas d'ane is notably intriguing. The term 'branch' as noted went to the functionality of these rings to support the shell guard, and was used in the manner of the more developed rapiers which often had complex guard branch systems.
Egerton Castle (1885, p. 231) says, "...the meaning of the word is obscure, and unhappily we have no English equivilant. 'Pas d'ane' according to Littre', is an instrument inserted into the mouth of a horse to keep it open for examination. Such an instrument may bear resemblance to our loop guards, but the question is whether it was so called in the 15thc.Athough the pas d'ane and ring adjuncts to hilt not in fashion earlier than 16th c-several instances show them as early as 14th c. ".
The colloquial use of terms associated with horse head gear and sword element comparisons seem to be in place in a number of cases.
The reduction of the pas d'ane came about due to masters of fence trying to dissuade the propensity of the finger through these pas d'ane rings as techniques changed.