18th Century French Colichemarde Swords

A beautiful 18th century French colichemarde with an intricate pierced steel guard decorated with spirals of scrolling foliage, and bordered with chevrons and foliage and matching pommel. The handle is bound in silver wire. The blade is 79cm long and 2.8cm wide at the forte. It is decorated with scroll work and an unidentified winged figure carrying a flag, all now rubbed. It is free of any rust or pitting and has a speckled patina towards the tip.

The colichemarde, was a minority small-sword blade design which was used approximately between 1680 and 1780. Mentioned in Sir William Hope’s 1707 fencing manual, it was especially popular in France and America, where they were still in use until 1885....Read full description