I have also seen that effigy in a book, Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour, edited by David Nicolle, in an essay by Helmut Nickel called 'The Mutual influence of Europe and Asia in the Field of Arms and Armour'.
In the essay, Nickel lists the peculiarities of the hilt. One of them, which is hard to see in the photos provided in the book (or online) is that the grip is
Quote: |
bound with thick cords in a double looped wrapping which was much more elaborate than the simple wrappings normal for western European swords |
He then asserts that
Quote: |
All these features have their closest equivalents on archaic Chinese swords, or chên. Indeed, macramé-like grip bindings akin to those on Sieur Jean's sword continued to be used on Chinese and Japanese sword hilts up to the present day. |
He then goes on to suggest that this sword came from Jean's involvement in the Crusades, and that he acquired the weapon in Outremer. He explains
Quote: |
Whether this sword was picked up on a Syrian battlefield or was found as an exotic item in a Levantine bazaar we will never know, but it is proof that individual weapons were transferred from one end of the Eurasian continent to the other |
Being no expert, I don't know what to make of these claims.
Edit: Edited for spelling and clarity