Udo, very interesting example of what was deemed a 'mourning sword' in the 18th c. These are discussed briefly in "The Smallsword in England" (J.Aylward, 1945, p.54-55), noting these arose probably c. 1740 and with blackened steel and grip wire. While the thought was for mourning of funerary purpose, Aylward suggests they were worn with any somber dress, and were essentially a town weapon.
I do not know much on Louis XV (d. 1774), but it seems feasible this could have been such a sword with the interesting likeness on the blade. I would also note the rebated point on the blade, which would seem to render the blade inert for thrusting as would be sharply pointed on regular small swords.
While this digresses from the figurative term for the 'mortuary' hilts, I wanted to add this to the theme. It is what is termed a 'corpse carriers' sword from East Europe, believed Austria, 19th c. and worn by pall bearers in the funerary process. Frankly this is a pretty obscure form and I would have to dig a bit to find the reference in which it is noted.
Returning to the 'mortuary' hilt, I went through " The Rapier and Smallsword 1400-1820" by the late AVB Norman (1980), where the hilt form and its variants are discussed in various entries. He suggests, based on examples and some portraiture that the form likely did not exist prior to 1630s.
Unfortunately, as often the case, no mention of the origin of the term 'mortuary' is noted, though it is used in at least 7 references in the text.
Still curious about the play mentioned in which the term 'mortuary' was used for presumably one of these type swords.
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