Strange flamboyant blade rapier on ebay

[fearn]

Hi Katana,

As for the pineapple, I don't disagree with you on an botanical basis. On a commercial/artistic basis...well, I just googled "pineapple finial" and took one of the first images.

I've attached an artichoke finial for comparison.

As you can see, most swordsmiths aren't botanists. A cross-hatched ovoid pommel isn't really definitive.

Unless we assume that whoever made this was a plant freak or a realistic artist, there are a bunch of other things it could be, such as a raspberry, a protea, a badly done strawberry, some types of conifer cone, and the like. It could also be a stylized hand grenade, too, if you want to go way afield.

I'd identified the pommel as an pineapple because I knew that was a common motif in Europe. If it's not a pineapple, then we need to come up with a reason why someone mounted a poorly sculpted artichoke (or whatever it is) on the butt of a sword with a non-functional blade.

F