Antique 18th century Polish Sword Karabela (item #929586)

Antique Swords and Daggers, Antique Pistols and Guns, Antiquities and Pre Columbian Art

Antique 18th century Polish Sword Karabela

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All Items: Popular Collectibles: Militaria: Edged Weapons: Pre 1900: item # 929586

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Antique 18th century Polish Sword Karabela

Rare Antique 18th century Polish Nobleman sword Karabela. DETAILS: A Steel hilt of characteristic Karabela form decorated throughout the grip and the crossguard in silver inlaid scrolling foliate and floral motifs. A slightly curved single edged Damascus steel blade with yelmen, a forte decorated on each side with silver inlaid ornaments and two panels containing ornaments stylized in Arabic scripts.
MEASUREMENTS: Overall length: 92 cm (36 ¼ inches), length of the blade 77 cm (30 ¼ inches).
CONDITION: In good condition considering its age with a nice visible Damascus pattern.
REFERENCES: During the 17th -18th century most of the Polish Noblemen's swords were made in the Eastern – Turkish or Persian manner. A Similar Polish 18th century karabela sword with a steel hilt from the Charles XV King of Sweden collection is published in the
1. “White Arms of the Royal Armoury” by Lena Nordstrom
2. “Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons" by Leslie Southwick. Page 171 No 479, with the following note: “This high quality, but worn, sword differs from other karabelas in not having scales of horn, ivory or same other material riveted to the tang to form the grip”.
3. Furthermore a sword with a steel karabela hilt of similar contour of the grip is in the Hermitage Museum published in the Book "Fine Arms from Tula: Firearms and Edged weapons in the Hermitage, Leningrad" by Valentin Mavrodin. No124.

Pseudo Arabic scripts can be seen on many 17th and 18th century Polish and Russian sword blades since the Turkish or Persian Damascus steel blades were very highly prized by Eastern European nobles. Most of those blades are with a watered steel pattern decorated with pseudo Arabic writing since the Polish and Russian Swords smiths, as the rest of the people of those countries, did not know the Arabic alphabet to show that the sword blade is an actual luxurious blade imported from the Islamic world. However the Eastern European Damascus steel blades were with watered -patterns which were different from the Islamic as Turkish or Persian Damascus steel. The form of the hilt with rococo influence of this particular karabela is slightly different from the hilt of 17th century Islamic- Ottoman karabela and indicates that this sword was made in the late 18th century and for this period time is dated a sword in the Hermitage Museum published in the Book "Fine Arms from Tula".

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