Thank you Fernando for sharing this very rugged warrior! These true fighting weapons are probably the most fascinating as thier wear and patination, as well as thier sheer simplicity seem to hold deep historical secrets. I have often wondered if the swords of Spain and Portugal were much the same, and it certainly seems the case here. This cuphilt seems very much like the Caribbean Spanish Colonial cuphilt versions, with the elements of the hilt put together the same as you describe.
I think one of my favorite examples historically is the beautiful Portuguese rapier that deeply influenced an African tribal craftsman, who created a fantastic interpretation of these complex hilts (I think there is a line illustration in Burton "Book of the Sword"), in the Congo (?)
Personally I have had a weakness for these cuphilts, from the most rugged examples to the beautifully chiselled examples, as they hold so much history.
This is a wonderful example Fernando!!!
It seems I always associate cuphilts to the end of the 17th century, though these military versions seem to have extended well into the 18th. But the question is, just how early did the cupguard hilt develop, and where were these used.
In A.V.B. Norman ("The Rapier and Smallsword 1460-1820) he notes on p.175 that it is not at all clear when the cuphilt first appeared or what might have influenced its development. He notes that the style appears to have existed in Spain, S.Italy and the Spanish Netherlands, and that it does not appear in portraits of military subjects. Obviously that note would not include the military versions of these swords noted here, but the high quality examples for nobility and gentry.
Has anyone ever found examples or literature referencing examples from other countries, say Germany? that is, the full cup hilt, not the shallow dish seen on some rapiers.
All the best,
Jim
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