Takouba with a 16th century blade?

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

As Iain has well noted, this blade might tenuously be late 18th c. and really nothing that distinguishes it as European.
The descriptive term the dealer might have prudently used is 'of the style' of many 16th century and later blades. In the defense of many dealers, many of them actually believe this, some conveniently overlook it.

As Iain notes also, those twin moons (dukari) were invariably stamped on the native made blades that were apparently termed 'masri' and used throughout the Sahara on takouba. This example I think is a brilliant example as it was clearly long in circulation as seen by the wavering edges reflecting the rough sharpening with stones in the desert.

Hi Jim
Dealers and collectors with many years of experience on the counter like to throw some weight around when it comes to their expertise. I buy most objects online, good pictures are essential to make an assessment, sometimes you take a gamble. Occasionally things go wrong but usually things turn out well. Discourse at a distance has its limitations, often descriptions are incomplete and even totally wrong. If you see the potential of the object with a faulty description you can buy it for a modest price, The other way around also happens, of course.
So too with this takouba. I did not pay a 16th century price but rather 20th century. This indicates to me that the 16th century allocation was not realistic.
It remains a challenge to date these fascinating objects over time.
Regards
Marc