German Prototype Spanish Model 1728 Bilbo Cavalry Sword with Solingen Blade

This German prototype or predecessor to the Spanish Model 1728 Bilbo cavalry sword is an important early military sword with a German-inscribed blade. The sword relates to the famous Spanish Fernando VI Model 1728 Bilbo cavalry trooper sword, often associated with the distinctive “horse mouth” hilt form. This example features rare early German blade inscriptions including “SOLINGEN” and “EN - ALEMANIA”, indicating German manufacture or blade origin. The hilt is made of iron and formed with a double asymmetric shell guard, two quillons turned in opposing directions, and two additional elements toward the ricasso meeting the “mustache” area where the shell is secured by screws. The sword has an arched knuckle bow, pommel with short knob, and a wooden grip with ferrules at each end, wired with copper twine and reinforced by lateral ribs or bars. The blade is straight, with a short mustache followed by three flats running toward the tip.

The Spanish Bilbo sword is one of the most recognizable military sword forms associated with the Spanish Empire. Although the Model 1728 became the first standardized Spanish cavalry sword pattern, similar shell-guarded forms had existed in Spain for centuries, especially among rapier and cavalry sword traditions. Spain relied heavily on Solingen and other German blade-making centers for quality sword blades, and many Spanish or Spanish-style swords were marked Alemania, indicating German origin. This example is especially interesting as an earlier German-made or German-inscribed predecessor to the later standardized Spanish cavalry model.

This is a highly compelling early military sword with excellent research and display value. The German-inscribed Solingen blade, En Alemania marking, iron double-shell Bilbo-style hilt, bent quillons, reinforced grip construction, and connection to the Spanish Model 1728 cavalry sword tradition make it a strong piece for collectors of Spanish colonial arms, German blade work, cavalry swords, and early 18th-century European military weapons.

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