Introduction: High fashion was an essential status and power symbol during the late Medieval and Renaissance periods. High fashion was especially important among the mega-wealthy, who wanted to outdo their rivals, neighbors, and peers in the fashion arena. Not all wars were fought on the battlefield with swords, lances, and armor. A non-bloody war was in the fashion and status arena. Fashion also extended deeply to Arms and Armor. The phrase… “keeping up with the Joneses” … is not a new 20th-century concept.
Description: Under the Norman typology, this is a Hilt 43 (used from 1550 to 1630). A Norman Pommel 65 (used from 1620 to 1645), The pommel consists of four triangular sides, each side decorated with floral chisaling. Original wire grips (or at worst working life) with Turks Heads, stiff diamond-shaped blade, triple makers mark at the rectangular ricasso with gutters at the edges, the ricasso terminating at the lower side ring, two defensive side rings expanding at their centers decorated en suite with the pommel, extending chevron shaped quillon block decorated en suite, two recurved quillons in opposite directions with expanding tips decorated with four gutters, the side rings connecting to an inner guard of two defensive bars originating from the right quillon to the lower ends of the arms.
Length: approximately 41 inches.
Condition:Very good.
Discussion: In a day and age lacking appropriate policing, the private citizen was forced to protect himself from society‚ criminal dregs. The weapon of choice was the rapier from the middle of the 16th to the end of the 17th century. The rapier is a simple but highly effective sword against the non-armored. The rapier was primarily a thrusting weapon that could inflict serious injury to an adversary‚ vital organs with minimal effort. It was also an exceptional slashing and cutting weapon; however, the slash was not as lethal as the thrust. The slash was used more as a feint to set up a finishing thrust. The slash was also a dire warning to a would-be assailant of the horrors to quickly follow if he chose not to acquiesce.
The rapier is almost undeniably of Spanish origin and is probably Spain‚ most significant contribution to the Renaissance arms race. A highly expensive, ornate rapier was the equivalent of a person in our day and age making a fashion or opulence statement by wearing very expensive jewelry, such as a Rolex or Audemars Piguet watch. Because fencing is more of a thrusting art, it became commonplace throughout Europe to have as long a blade as possible to obtain an advantage. This extravagance in length reached the point that municipalities passed statutes regarding the allowable lengths of blades. Those in violation had the misfortune of having their rapier‚ blades cropped at the tip at the city gate to comply.
One example of these statutes is from an English Royal Proclamation on March 17, 1557. The French adopted the phrase “espee rapiere” by 1475, which was later shortened to simply “rapiere”. The English in 1505 spelled it “rappyer.” The Giles Duwes English/ French dictionary of 1532/3 adopted the rapier’s definition as “Spannyshe sworde.” By 1550, the term rapier had been adopted to describe a slender, sharply pointed sword designed for thrusting, cutting, and slashing attacks. The rapier now consisted of a hilt protected by a handguard.
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