Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
Following the Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile, the British became obsessed with arms inspired by those of Arabic or “Oriental” form. One of the most popular was the saber carried by Mameluk horsemen, which had an open cross-guard and a pistol-shaped grip and flat, heavily curved blade. This form in replicated in miniature as the fighting dirk of a young midshipman, with gilded brass mounting on the hilt and a grip made of ebony. The curved, unfullered blade is 9 5/8 inches long with a 4 ¼ inch false edge.
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