Scottish Sword with Engraving?

Jim McDougall · 30th October 2020, 11:52 PM

This engraved mark is just that, an engraved design which back in 2009, an effort was made to associate this with a comet in Sudanese religious lore.
The mark was never meant to be 'gilt', in which cross hatching (as in the application of precious metal was pounded into the furrows) was termed koftgari.

These marks seem consistent with the 'shaded' sections of the device.

Attached are photos of kaskara blades with the mark, and Briggs' analysis from "European blades in Tuareg swords and Daggers" (JAAS, 1965).

NeilUK · 1st November 2020, 01:26 PM

I can't say anything about the blade, but I am afraid the hilt is definitely replica, or to be more blunt, fake. The pommel is a brazil-nut shape, used in the 12th century in Germany and N. Europe but not in Scotland. The guard is of a 14th-15th century style very common in Scotland at this period. Exact representations can be seen on the famous West Highland gravestones, both in situ around the village churches in Argyll and the islands and also in museums. I dare say that is where the maker of your sword got his inspiration from.
Neil

Jim McDougall · 1st November 2020, 04:15 PM

Good call Neil!
That is the hilt style I was thinking of, and occurred on the Scottish broadsword seen on the tomb effigies as well as on the large two hander 'claymores' as well.
The 'brazil nut' was as you point out , not part of this hilt form in Scottish context of these periods.

This again bolsters the case for the clandestine use of 'bring back' kaskara blades to fashion 'medieval' style swords for Victorian parlors, as described by Ewart Oakeshott. It sounds as if this was a well established practice, and this must have been the end of many kaskaras from the Sudan.

I recall some years ago in a museum in Canada, the story of one of their acquisitions which was claimed to be a medieval sword from the Crusades which had been found in a local basement in the 1920s.
Naturally, when images of the sword were seen it was revealed it was actually a Sudanese kaskara from the campaigns there, but in this case still in Sudanese mounts.

It had been a long held notion that the armies in North Africa were steadily armed with arms and armor (including mail armor) from the Crusades.
Ironically, in many cases, old European blades from that period and more commonly later, were indeed mounted in many takouba and kaskara.
The irony is wondering how many of these Sudanese used European blades were inadvertantly the subject of this sort of remounting.

Weapons often have unusual and even strange stories to tell of their own,
and this one seems to have its own history of antiquity as perhaps one of these unusual Victorian composites.
To be clear, this is NOT one of the European blades I mention, but a clearly Sudanese blade of probably at least early 20th century, if not contemporary to Omdurman (1898). While Briggs (1965) shows these markings in use on the examples c. 1917, typically such cases suggest such markings or examples were in use for at least some period prior to observation noted.

30th October 2020, 11:52 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,785	This engraved mark is just that, an engraved design which back in 2009, an effort was made to associate this with a comet in Sudanese religious lore. The mark was never meant to be 'gilt', in which cross hatching (as in the application of precious metal was pounded into the furrows) was termed koftgari. These marks seem consistent with the 'shaded' sections of the device. Attached are photos of kaskara blades with the mark, and Briggs' analysis from "European blades in Tuareg swords and Daggers" (JAAS, 1965). Attached Images

1st November 2020, 01:26 PM	#2
NeilUK Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Scotland Posts: 122	I can't say anything about the blade, but I am afraid the hilt is definitely replica, or to be more blunt, fake. The pommel is a brazil-nut shape, used in the 12th century in Germany and N. Europe but not in Scotland. The guard is of a 14th-15th century style very common in Scotland at this period. Exact representations can be seen on the famous West Highland gravestones, both in situ around the village churches in Argyll and the islands and also in museums. I dare say that is where the maker of your sword got his inspiration from. Neil Attached Images

1st November 2020, 04:15 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,785	Good call Neil! That is the hilt style I was thinking of, and occurred on the Scottish broadsword seen on the tomb effigies as well as on the large two hander 'claymores' as well. The 'brazil nut' was as you point out , not part of this hilt form in Scottish context of these periods. This again bolsters the case for the clandestine use of 'bring back' kaskara blades to fashion 'medieval' style swords for Victorian parlors, as described by Ewart Oakeshott. It sounds as if this was a well established practice, and this must have been the end of many kaskaras from the Sudan. I recall some years ago in a museum in Canada, the story of one of their acquisitions which was claimed to be a medieval sword from the Crusades which had been found in a local basement in the 1920s. Naturally, when images of the sword were seen it was revealed it was actually a Sudanese kaskara from the campaigns there, but in this case still in Sudanese mounts. It had been a long held notion that the armies in North Africa were steadily armed with arms and armor (including mail armor) from the Crusades. Ironically, in many cases, old European blades from that period and more commonly later, were indeed mounted in many takouba and kaskara. The irony is wondering how many of these Sudanese used European blades were inadvertantly the subject of this sort of remounting. Weapons often have unusual and even strange stories to tell of their own, and this one seems to have its own history of antiquity as perhaps one of these unusual Victorian composites. To be clear, this is NOT one of the European blades I mention, but a clearly Sudanese blade of probably at least early 20th century, if not contemporary to Omdurman (1898). While Briggs (1965) shows these markings in use on the examples c. 1917, typically such cases suggest such markings or examples were in use for at least some period prior to observation noted.