A Globular Pommeled Rapier

Philip · 1st August 2021, 07:02 AM

A very interesting study piece! On the one hand, we shudder at a fine sword which has suffered so much from exposure to the elephants. On the other, the corrosion reveals the fine, controlled lamellar forging of the blade. And a similar layering of the bars comprising the hilt, likewise to enhance resilience and impact resistance.

Staffan Kinman's listing of swordsmiths contains entries of swordsmiths of Toledo with names similar to that on your blade:
1. Alonzo de Sahagum "el viejo" (the elder), career spanned roughly 1560-73. Used two marks, crowned S in a mushroom shaped cartouche, and the globus cruciger symbol often associated with German workshops of the same century.
2. Alonzo de S "el mozo" (the younger), 1609-14. Mark is an S under a crown surmounted by a small cross, in a beaker-shaped cartouche.
3. Luis de S "el Sahaguncillo" (little Sahagun), 1620-35. Mark is an S under a simplistic 5-pointed crown within a cartouche with the profile of an acorn, the crown reminiscent of the format used by Alonzo the Elder.

The name was undoubtedly used on "knockoffs" made elsewhere in Europe as well.

1st August 2021, 07:02 AM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	A very interesting study piece! On the one hand, we shudder at a fine sword which has suffered so much from exposure to the elephants. On the other, the corrosion reveals the fine, controlled lamellar forging of the blade. And a similar layering of the bars comprising the hilt, likewise to enhance resilience and impact resistance. Staffan Kinman's listing of swordsmiths contains entries of swordsmiths of Toledo with names similar to that on your blade: 1. Alonzo de Sahagum "el viejo" (the elder), career spanned roughly 1560-73. Used two marks, crowned S in a mushroom shaped cartouche, and the globus cruciger symbol often associated with German workshops of the same century. 2. Alonzo de S "el mozo" (the younger), 1609-14. Mark is an S under a crown surmounted by a small cross, in a beaker-shaped cartouche. 3. Luis de S "el Sahaguncillo" (little Sahagun), 1620-35. Mark is an S under a simplistic 5-pointed crown within a cartouche with the profile of an acorn, the crown reminiscent of the format used by Alonzo the Elder. The name was undoubtedly used on "knockoffs" made elsewhere in Europe as well.