Polish Karabela Saber with a Turkish Blade, Late 17th Century, Possibly Crafted by Lviv Armenians

The karabela is mounted with a Turkish blade forged from Damascus steel, while the hilt and fittings were most likely assembled and mounted in the workshops of Lviv Armenians, as suggested by the stylistic features of the crossguard, grip scales, and decorative fittings.

The Damascus pattern is clearly visible along the full length of both sides of the blade. The inner face of the blade is undecorated, while the outer face bears four inscriptions in Islamic script, each inlaid entirely in gold. These inscriptions are set into specially prepared fields that were cross-hatched beforehand to mechanically secure the inlaid gold wire.

The blade exhibits the typical curvature of Eastern, particularly Turkish, sabres: the curve begins at approximately one-third of the blade’s length and reaches a maximum deflection of 7.8 cm in the upper half of the edge. The blade features a flat grind and a distinct yelm (false edge section) without a ricasso, measuring 24.5 cm in length.

The hilt is of traditional karabela type, with the characteristic eagle-head pommel. The grip scales are made from semi-precious stone, secured with three rivets topped with gilt rosette-shaped heads. The crossguard is massive and gilded, terminating in spherical finials (mace-like knobs), richly decorated with ornamental motifs. The craftsmanship of the fittings is of high quality, displaying refined artisanal skill. The style and ornamentation strongly suggest that the mounting and fitting of the blade were carried out in Lviv Armenian workshops.