Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Cup-hilted rapier for comments

Jim McDougall · 2nd July 2024, 11:31 PM

Breathtaking Marius!
This is an authentic Spanish cuphilt in the style of mid 17th c. as pictured in "Rapiers" by Eric Valentine (Stackpole, 1968) examples 38 and 39.
The oblate pommel and guard is correct, wonderful guardapolvo (inside cup) and the blade typical diamond section.
Most blades by this time were German produced using spuriously placed names of famed Toledo makers....in the two examples in Valentine one with Tomas Aiala the other Sebastian Hernandez.

Any possibility of close up of these markings on the blade? These are the kinds of magic/occult type sigils and devices popular on Spanish blades and also copied by German smiths.

2nd July 2024, 11:31 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,100	Breathtaking Marius! This is an authentic Spanish cuphilt in the style of mid 17th c. as pictured in "Rapiers" by Eric Valentine (Stackpole, 1968) examples 38 and 39. The oblate pommel and guard is correct, wonderful guardapolvo (inside cup) and the blade typical diamond section. Most blades by this time were German produced using spuriously placed names of famed Toledo makers....in the two examples in Valentine one with Tomas Aiala the other Sebastian Hernandez. Any possibility of close up of these markings on the blade? These are the kinds of magic/occult type sigils and devices popular on Spanish blades and also copied by German smiths.