Epée d'Officier of the Militia of the Principality of Malta.
Sept 6, 2015 11:28:25 GMT
Post by Uhlan on Sept 6, 2015 11:28:25 GMT
A very well made little sword this is. Still sharp, with a beautiful and stiff blade and a steel hilt. Whether there is really a Knights of Malta connection is anybodies guess.
There is a Maltese Cross on the ricasso on both sides and the type fits in with the last decades of the Knights rule, but that is all. The, let us say, ,,suggestion'', was made by the seller and though I do not doubt his expertise, we all know how vendours like to soup up the merchandise a bit.
Lots of Maltese Crosses on blades do not a Knights sword make. Barring information from a solid source, all I can say is that there might be a connection. What is beyond doubt though is that it is an Epée d'Officier. The all steel Officers type is well attested for in l'Hoste, see page 177.
The large guard discs, the globular pommel and the shape of the knuckle bow suggest an origin in the beginning of the 18th C. Swords of this age still have Pas d'Ane that can be used, with a high guillon block, so, as an descendant of the rapier it is of a type well on the way to the smallsword, but still incorporating some design aspects from the rapiers of old.
As I said above, it is very well made. After all this time it still rings like a bell. Everything is tight and there is good detailing in the steel. The large discs are without ornamentation on the outside, apart from the sculpted steel border that is, but there is an ajour worked plate under the guillon block to brighten things up a bit on the inside. This is a professionals sword, not an overly decorated, super fancy, status displaying Epée de Ville.
The blade is what caught my fancy. Remembering I did a post on that awful Windlass Castillian: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/38026/new-windlass-castillian , when I saw it this blade, it made my day. I know Windlass tried something new with that blade and they really try hard, but they have so much other things to think about, that they cannot reach beyond a certain level of workmanship. The design for this blade is so well thought out that it must have been made by a major smith.
Alas, there are no marks. The blade is quite light and very stiff. There is flex of course, but that starts after the cut outs. From the guard to a bit after the end of the cut out section it is as stiff and sturdy as a poker. I think this is due to the pair of fullers on either side.
The blade is quite thin though. Under the guard it is 7 mm thick, tapering to 5 mm at the end of the fullers and from there to 2mm 1" from the tip.
Given that the fullers are quite deep, the steel at the bottom is very thin, so those cut outs come rather natural. Drilling through will not have been a great effort.
Blade width is 23 mm or just under 1". The length is 82 cm, so this is without doubt an Infantry blade. Total length is 98,5 cm or 38.8". It weighs 598 grams.
One could wield this sword for an eternity without fatigue and I look at it and handle it with great pleasure. It is not everyday one finds such an excellent designed working sword. Kudos to the blade smith and the Officer who commissioned it!