European Officer's Sword ?

[Radboud]

That is a lovely smallsword your friend has.

Regrettably it is often difficult to pin these down to a specific model or country since they were private purchase worn by both officers and gentlemen of wealth. And cutlers would offer their clients catalogues of hilts that they could choose from.

However this sword does have a couple of features that help narrow it down. The way the knucklebow is attached to the pommel is more typical to Dutch / Spanish and German smallswords. Plus some of the drecorations; the twisted section in the knucklebow and the boatshell guard with the boarder are similar to the Dutch Army officers' swords of 1770 - 1800.

There was a discussion on these swords on the International Antique Sword Collectors group over on Facebook that featured a couple of swords similar to you friends'.

Dutch Army Officer's smallsword circa 1770 - 1800:






Similar more ornate swords that could possibly have belonged to higher ranked officers? (Pure speculation):

[MacCathain]

Rick:

I have a somewhat similar piece, shown in the admittedly poor photo below. It is, as others have already said, a bit hard to tie down to one place or another. Mine, however, features what I think is a rather worn rooster motif on the pommel, which leads me to think it may originate from French, or possibly Belgian, regions. The trefoil blade is 30 inches in length.

Also attached is a page from Bashford Dean's Court Swords and Hunting Swords that shows swords with features attributed to Scandinavian weapons of the 1780s. The design features are quite similar.

Is the blade on your friend's sword etched? Mine is, but it doesn't show any marker's marks, though the work is quite nice. Long-tailed, parrot-like birds are depicted on both sides, but in different scenes. Sadly, the pommel nut is absent.

M