The “C”–shaped arc at the top of this blade identifies it as an “executioner’s sword”—a weapon notorious in the 19th century due to exaggerated and misleading accounts of beheadings. The pigment applied along the full length of this carefully incised blade indicates that it was used as an implement to exact political authority, rather than apply brute force. Once part of a dignitary’s regalia, the strong curves of such a knife conveyed the power and wisdom of its owner as the blade symbolized an ability to cut through problems.