Blade from the Workshops of Lviv Armenians
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Lviv, 17th century

Materials: Damascus steel, gold, semiprecious stones – turquoise, bloodstone

Techniques: Forging, damascening, inlay, engraving


Dimensions: Lenght 92 cm
This saber blade (length: 92 cm) has a slight curvature. It was broken at mid-length and later repaired. Traces of this restoration are visible in the form of missing gold inlays and absent stones at the repair site. The blade bears no maker's marks either on the edge or on its slender tang.

The decorative characteristics of the inner face of the blade suggest it was most likely produced in the workshops of the Armenian craftsmen of Lviv. A delicate floral pattern in gold was inlaid into the blade along its entire surface, complemented by rows of three semiprecious stones. Along the axis of the curvature, three narrow channels were fitted with small lead pellets that move with the motion of the blade—an exceptionally rare feature.

The tang is notably slender and does not resemble those typically found in Eastern-style sabers, which further supports the assumption that the blade was not only decorated but also forged in Lviv.

The internal face of the blade is also decorated with fine floral gilding. In the lower part of the fuller, a gold-inlaid image of the Virgin Mary with the Child appears, flanked by two taper candles (gromnice) engraved in silver directly onto the steel surface.

The decorative motif found on the external face of the blade is characteristic of Lviv’s Armenian workshops and appears on other notable sabers—such as the so-called "eagle saber" from the late 17th century, once held in King Jan III Sobieski’s armory, later transferred to the Radziwiłł collection in Nieśwież in 1812, and subsequently housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. That saber was repatriated from the USSR in 1924 and is now part of the State Art Collections at Wawel Castle.

A saber with very similar ornamentation was also gifted to Tadeusz Kościuszko by the Armenian community of Lviv and was likewise made in their local workshops. However, neither of these examples features the distinctive channels with lead pellets found in the present piece.