Unknown (Uncertain)
Rapier. Large, tall barrel-shaped pommel, oval in plan, with a well-shaped button. Knuckle-guard, loop-guard, double ring-guards. Branches and single rear quillon, all of a broad ribbon-section. The knuckle-guard terminates against the side of the pommel with a large open ring; at the midpoint it swells to a balustic-shaped feature below which is a flat disc, below which again the lower part of the guard swells to a second balustic-shape; thus the disc id clasped between these two elements. At this point the loop-guard in front of the hilt and the back-guard at the back spring out. Each of the ring-guards show the same feature of a flat disc clasped between the two balustic-like elements. The lower ring encloses an elegantly pierced plate. There is a flat, rectangular ecusson from the lower edge of which springs a short triangular element. The single rear quillon turns strongly towards the blade and terminates, slightly curled inward, in a disc. Each of these discs on the guards and quillon is decorated with a neatly chiselled double-trefoil rose pattern while each of the enclosing balustic forms has, similarly chiselled, a long acanthus leaf. The same motifs, in a diamond shape, are repeated on the pommel. These decorations only appear on the outside of the gilt, the inside being quite plain. The grip is of oval section, bound in a most complex manner with strands of thick and thin twisted wire. The back-guards are of three elements. The hilt retains all of its original blue colour. Long narrow blade of flat diamond section; at the forte, three well-marked fullers, the middle on extruding halfway down toward the point. The stout ricasso, a little narrower than the blade, has its faces slightly dished. In the middle of each face of the ricasso is a stamped, very clear maker's mark, a fleur-de-lis ensigned with a crown within an ecusson.
Norman hilt type 57.
History note: Probably Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Length: 130.8 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century-17th Century#
Circa
1580
CE
-
1620
CE
The rapier developed in the late 16th century and remained popular for the next century. With a long, narrow, tapering blade, a hilt with bars to protect the hand and a large pommel which helped to balance the blade, it was the fighting sword par excellence and which every man worth his salt strived to master. This example is marked with a crowned fleur-de-lys within a shield.
This is an outstanding sword, in perfect condition and of the very highest quality. The mark on the ricasso is one which has a long history; first used by the late Plantagenets and the Tudors as a royal badge, it became in th 16th century a mark of denote 'appointment' of the bladesmail or cutter to a royal house, with the same meaning as have the words ESPADERO DEL REY (sword-maker to the king) engraved upon some high-quality Spanish swords.
Western European
Grip
composed of
wire
Sword
composed of
steel
Blade
Length 107.3 cm
Blade At Hilt
Width 2.5 cm
Decoration
Hilt
Inscription present: fleur-de-lis ensigned with a crown within an ecusson
Accession number: HEN.M.217-1933
Primary reference Number: 18942
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Rapier" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18942 Accessed: 2024-11-22 11:36:30
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/18942
|title=Rapier
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-22 11:36:30|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-18942
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