19th C. Nimcha

Very good moroccan nimcha of the 19th century with a quality usually reserved for people of a certain status (maybe a local dignitary).

The handle is made of one huge piece of rhino horn very well crafted and completed with an enameled silver ferrule. The guard and quillions with a fantastic and untouched black patina are finely forged with traces of gold and the two central quilllions exhibit at their ends a feature rarely seen, two buttons called in spanish "pitones" that bear remarkable similarities to the ones seen in Spanish swords of the 15th century.

The long and slightly curved blade comes from a British 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry Sabre, is single fullered and very thick at the beginning of the spine, more than 1cm. The blade ends with a  false edge and tapers to a spear point. In the spine is still possible to see Deakin (the maker's name), a crown and the words cast and steel, in the moroccan nimchas it was possible to find locally made blades or imported equally.

The nimcha is 105 cm. long and the blade is 98 cm. long

As usual in a sword of this age the nimcha presents losses in the gold koftgari and some pitting and blackened spots in the blade otherwise in very good condition.

 

A very impressive item in hand.