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Post by calien on May 30, 2021 13:38:54 GMT
Good Evening, I just won this amazing mameluke sabre at auction yesterday and it was being sold as "first empire french" but based on the ivory and the scabbard Im getting more of a British vibe, what do you all think?
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Post by bas on May 30, 2021 20:45:09 GMT
Congratulations on another excellent sabre Calien.
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on May 31, 2021 11:54:58 GMT
Another damast blade! Very nice one again. Quick image search shows many have straight guilons. Yours are slightly turned down. Based on the style of the scabbard fittings I would opt for a British make. Many French examples of the period seem to show a proclivity for more flamboyant scabbard fitting styles. Yours just give me a more ,,Protestant'' vibe. Also the Mamluk sabres I see on the image search tend to have fittings decorated in the same style as the guard. Maybe the fittings do not belong to this particular sabre? Just rambling. This is indeed a hard one.
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Post by calien on Oct 22, 2021 18:29:12 GMT
So after many months of searching I came across the saber as it was sold a few years ago with the scabbard that was wrapped in green velvet. This was very lucky indeed as it makes the aging rather easy (Because the 19th were the only lancer regiment to wear green velvet on the scabbard of their dress uniform), so after the Napoleonic wars the British decided they very much liked how the lancers had performed and created 4 regiments out of already existing Light Dragoons. An thus the 19th Light Dragoons turned into the 19th Lancers in 1816. Originally garrisoned in India (presumably where the blade comes from) they participated in all the major battles under Wellington. The regiment returned to England until the War of 1812 when they were deployed to the US. Here they saw mixed results but nevertheless were issued honors' and given praise. They returned to England to receive the title of lancers and with it new regulations and uniforms. Presumably this is when this saber was made in the current configuration, after only 4 years the British decided to downsize the military and this particular regiment was stood down in 1821. Making this one a very rare one for two reasons, after looking at over 2000 examples of mamelukes this has been the only one with downturned quillons, and two it is from a regiment that only saw 4 years as lancers and just under 180 officers/NCOs.
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Post by jack88 on Oct 22, 2021 23:57:47 GMT
Good stuff, too bad the last seller decided to modify it. It was fine as is. Nice that you were able to track down specifically its genesis.
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Post by bas on Oct 23, 2021 3:23:42 GMT
Amazing research! The Indian connection is a great piece of additional information.
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Uhlan
Member
Posts: 3,121
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Post by Uhlan on Oct 24, 2021 9:59:06 GMT
Good research! Quite the history. Also nice, for me that is, that I was correct in thinking it was British. Ulahn's vibe antenna still working.
Cheers.
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