I offer for sale a very lovely and highly ornate, early 1700s North Italian (possibly Brescia, Lombardy) smallsword having a chiselled Iron hilt and engraved steel blade.
The two-stage blade measures 31 1/8 inches long (79 cms) with the forward portion being of flattened diamond section and the forte rounded.
The blade is nicely etched with strapwork and a herm seated beneath a canopy, on each side of the blade. The blade is nice and tight with the hilt, with no noticeable movement.
The iron hilt consists of a finely chiselled asymmetrical double shell-guard, highly decorated on each face with a central putto mask, surrounded by scrolling foliage, bearing fruit and flowers and a moulded brim interrupted by a foliate moulding front and back.
The hilt has large pas d'anes indicating early 18th-century hilt technology, it has a downturned, flattened globular quillon guard bar, a quillon block decorated en-suite with the shell-guard, knuckle-guard interrupted by another foliate moulding again matching the shell. The pommel is of globular form, with foliage and putti thereon. 
The grip is wrapped with plaited steel wire with 'Turks heads' top and bottom.
Altogether, a stunningly good, high-quality, early 18th-century, North Italian smallsword.