A 17th century cutlass

[Jim McDougall]

Interesting perspective Udo, but for me its pretty much about the laurel wreath which is what brought the attention to this figure on the blade in the first place.
True there are surely other possibilities of characters for the wreathed figure but the Leopold suggestion is most compelling and aligns with the particular Germanic features on the sword in entirety (the thumb ring and pommel and branch elements).
I still feel confident that the placement of this sword in the latter 17th is correct, and the Thirty Years war (1618-48) would be a bit early.

[M ELEY]

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to comment on this piece. I understand that there are slight differences in the portraits of the monarchs, but I would always have described the marking as "attributed to..." or "believed to be..." Jim has acutely accessed the date and country of origin (Germany), so at the very least we know that Midelburgo was on the right track in identifying the fact that the portraiture is one of the Holy Roman Emperors of this time period. I don't think the eagle crest is necessary to prove or disprove this. That it is definitely Leopold might remain a contention, but it does fit the timeline of his rule (1670's-1705). If Udo is right and the monarch is from an earlier date, it would be more of a memorial to their past rule. In either case, I am just happy that it wasn't just a generic imprint of no one in particular for decorative purposes alone.

[Hotspur]

German, Austrian, I'm not thinking Dutch for these curved feldegen type that differentiate from the hilts with shell guards. I recently adopted a large haudegen with similar guard branches but a much simpler thumb ring. The straight walloon/haudegen cavalry swords almost uniform and there is that Austrian castle wall showing a dozen or so of these hilts.

In seeking out information regarding screws or not. Time period and area not necessarily a key but more so in pommel types and blades affixed.

All my pictures need sizing lets see here. A handful resized for now.
A long thread and my Wundes blade sword with full size Fagan images on page three at the end. I'll work on those.
http://myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=13795

GC

[M ELEY]

Very nice sword, Glenn! I've never heard the term 'haudegen' before. I also wasn't sure about the screw to the pommel being a decider of dating, as I saw mid-17th c. examples with knuckle bows directly hooked into the pommel without them. Your example has a very similar, if not exact, pommel to mine. How would you date yours? I understand that the period for these was broad and blade style were also contributors, but I am curious...

[corrado26]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

I've never heard the term 'haudegen' before. .

Normally the German term "Haudegen" stands for a battle experienced old fighter, in English maybe an old war horse. The normal expression for the sword shown is "Felddegen".
corrado26

[kronckew]

Hotspur - Very Pappenheimerish! Me like. Me want. Me can't afford.

[Hotspur]

Mine has a Wundes marked blade and likely the second half of the 17th century. The adoption was to help reign in spending after clearing some debt. I am currently paying off yet another sword but it has been tough not to slide into another hole.

The blade decorative art of the subject cutlass might be the best lead as to origin. I don't really have a clue but to me it seems more central European than the west lowlands of the channel. Maybe Baltic/Scandic but I just don't know.

Cheers
GC

[M ELEY]

Originally Posted by Hotspur

Mine has a Wundes marked blade and likely the second half of the 17th century. The adoption was to help reign in spending after clearing some debt. I am currently paying off yet another sword but it has been tough not to slide into another hole.

The blade decorative art of the subject cutlass might be the best lead as to origin. I don't really have a clue but to me it seems more central European than the west lowlands of the channel. Maybe Baltic/Scandic but I just don't know.

Cheers
GC

Oh yes! Always in debt over my collecting as well. I'm really starting to love these type swords. Saw one at an antique mall in Gettysburg many years ago, but just couldn't swing the price.

I guess another factor, already mentioned but worth repeating, is that these swords might have been constructed in one country (Germany or Austria), but made for elsewhere, as they were making so many blades back then. My particular sword isn't of the classic Walloon type, with its lack of side plates and possessing a curved blade. It could have been meant for export to any of the Low Countries (Sweden, Netherlands, etc). After all, there were swords of this type used by the Danes, Dutch and even a French variation! It definitely has the Germanic features, though.