Kaskara for comment

A.alnakkas · 11th April 2011, 12:52 PM

Beautiful! The blade is certainly better then the usual blades made in sudan so i guess its european. I really hope to own a complete kaskara like this one someday perhaps in the near future.

Congrats

Battara · 11th April 2011, 03:30 PM

Wonderful piece - love these when they are clad in silver or even gold!

Iain · 11th April 2011, 04:49 PM

As I'm the one who suggested 19th century German I may as well chip in.

The blade is in my opinion a normal export pattern in that this type turns up enough in kaskara that they don't appear to be one-off imports. I would assume it would be from Solingen. Solingen makers exported heavily to the Sudanese market and specifically for kaskara. While the main makers I'm familiar with were Kull and Clauberg there would have been 9 major makers in Solingen at the time. Not every batch of blades seems to have featured stamps or markings. 94cm is a pretty standard size for kaskara blades, I assume overall it is about 1.1-1.2 meters? These nicely made, wide fullered blades turn up occasionally as what I think are genuine European imports and quite often as cruder local copies. You've got the good kind.

The ricasso on this is pretty normal and is just the base of the blade left as is and not ground to an edge. Nothing particularly odd about it just not all that common, I have seen them before - for example here's one from the sold archive at Oriental Arms. http://oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1221

So in summary, definitely European, I think made for export pattern just based on circumstances and that I've seen others of a very similar form and the ricasso is just how it was hilted up. Just my opinion of course. Stephen or some of the other guys more heavily involved in kaskara research can, I'm sure, add more.

Battara · 11th April 2011, 07:10 PM

Yes I agree - very common to have European blades on these swords.

Edster · 11th April 2011, 11:28 PM

Mefidk,

Very nice sword. I can't add more about the blade. However, due to the "tassel" and general (excellent) decoration on the handle, I'd place it from Kassala. Could very well be in the 1910-20 period. I have one very similiar attached with that provenance. Sorry I couldn't select just one picture.

Best,
Ed

Edster · 11th April 2011, 11:38 PM

Sorry, can't get to photp to attach. Its in my Sword and Knife Makers of Kassala paper in the archive. P.6, Fig. 2 Hadendawa Sword.

Mefidk · 12th April 2011, 07:23 AM

Thanks for the appreciative remarks folks

Iain: I hadn't realised that there was so much trade that so many makers produced blades specially for the Sudanese market. Was it just German makers or did the other European bladesmiths have a share in the market? I guess the British were not too keen on arming the Sudanese at the time

The oriental arms sword is a very close match for this - thanks for the link. Yes, 109cm is the total length. I was surprised by the length because my other has a 84cm locally made blade (I guess this is kind of the Sudanese equivalent of the Indian armoury tulwar). The others I've seen have all been of the same basic type. I guess that I have just not been lucky enough to see any good quality swords before.

Ed: Thanks, great info. I managed to find the paper ( here if anyone is interested http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/hunley/kassala.pdf ) - an excellent and very useful work btw.
Certainly does look like there are strong similarities between mine, yours and the oriental arms sword. Do I take it that you are suggesting that this style of decoration was produced exclusively in Kassala, or is the style more general?

Chris

11th April 2011, 12:52 PM	#1
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,340	Beautiful! The blade is certainly better then the usual blades made in sudan so i guess its european. I really hope to own a complete kaskara like this one someday perhaps in the near future. Congrats

11th April 2011, 03:30 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Wonderful piece - love these when they are clad in silver or even gold!

11th April 2011, 04:49 PM	#3
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,717	As I'm the one who suggested 19th century German I may as well chip in. The blade is in my opinion a normal export pattern in that this type turns up enough in kaskara that they don't appear to be one-off imports. I would assume it would be from Solingen. Solingen makers exported heavily to the Sudanese market and specifically for kaskara. While the main makers I'm familiar with were Kull and Clauberg there would have been 9 major makers in Solingen at the time. Not every batch of blades seems to have featured stamps or markings. 94cm is a pretty standard size for kaskara blades, I assume overall it is about 1.1-1.2 meters? These nicely made, wide fullered blades turn up occasionally as what I think are genuine European imports and quite often as cruder local copies. You've got the good kind. The ricasso on this is pretty normal and is just the base of the blade left as is and not ground to an edge. Nothing particularly odd about it just not all that common, I have seen them before - for example here's one from the sold archive at Oriental Arms. http://oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1221 So in summary, definitely European, I think made for export pattern just based on circumstances and that I've seen others of a very similar form and the ricasso is just how it was hilted up. Just my opinion of course. Stephen or some of the other guys more heavily involved in kaskara research can, I'm sure, add more.

11th April 2011, 07:10 PM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Yes I agree - very common to have European blades on these swords.

11th April 2011, 11:28 PM	#5
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 415	Mefidk, Very nice sword. I can't add more about the blade. However, due to the "tassel" and general (excellent) decoration on the handle, I'd place it from Kassala. Could very well be in the 1910-20 period. I have one very similiar attached with that provenance. Sorry I couldn't select just one picture. Best, Ed

11th April 2011, 11:38 PM	#6
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 415	Sorry, can't get to photp to attach. Its in my Sword and Knife Makers of Kassala paper in the archive. P.6, Fig. 2 Hadendawa Sword.

12th April 2011, 07:23 AM	#7
Mefidk Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 157	Thanks for the appreciative remarks folks Iain: I hadn't realised that there was so much trade that so many makers produced blades specially for the Sudanese market. Was it just German makers or did the other European bladesmiths have a share in the market? I guess the British were not too keen on arming the Sudanese at the time The oriental arms sword is a very close match for this - thanks for the link. Yes, 109cm is the total length. I was surprised by the length because my other has a 84cm locally made blade (I guess this is kind of the Sudanese equivalent of the Indian armoury tulwar). The others I've seen have all been of the same basic type. I guess that I have just not been lucky enough to see any good quality swords before. Ed: Thanks, great info. I managed to find the paper ( here if anyone is interested http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/hunley/kassala.pdf ) - an excellent and very useful work btw. Certainly does look like there are strong similarities between mine, yours and the oriental arms sword. Do I take it that you are suggesting that this style of decoration was produced exclusively in Kassala, or is the style more general? Chris