Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

tom hyle · 23rd May 2005, 12:59 PM

I think of a humped surface ground down thru to make flat or concave bevels but remaining humped at the ricassoe as an older, not a newer, European feature.
The sword was never much longer, and that's obvious, but I never thought it was so early; I think it's an almost-a-smallsword rapier. If it's circa 1900 it's unusually nicely made; a handmade expensive high-quality reproduction/fake. such were certainly made, and it would tend to explain a descrepancy of period between blade and hilt (the art of fence being alive and fairly well in Europe at the time, the length and balance being fitted to a customer/contemporary would then make sense. But neither length nor hilt are quite "right" for c16, eh? perhaps because it is a reproduction with innacuracies/contemporaneities, but what if it is instead because it is a later descendant, altered by evolution?). I have certainly seen such high quality "Victorian" reproductions, mostly various broadswords in forged iron dress. They are a far cry from the mass produced wallhanging ones with their cast one piece hilts and weak, poorly joined, and sometimes also cast blades. Kind of like putting a fine differentially hardened folded steel bowie in the same category with a piece of laser-cut surgical stainless junk in a zinc handle, as (in this case) "modern fantasy knives". People do, too, but I think it a grievous error. An irate person told Therion that I make "perfectly good" (always an odd assumption) bayonets into fantasy daggers

daggers actually don't get much realer than the ones I've made out of bayonet blades

I don't have a detailed chronological knowledge of rapier hilts; that's for sure, as well. I've seen a lot of the things, but they're not my favourite swords, and specific date and place, though interesting, are always the least interesting things about a sword to me, so take my comments on this subject in that light

I certainly can't decide even to my own satisfaction; I can only provide thinking points.
I see a line that could be a fold line in the one photo of the tip, but it could be a lot of other things, too (scratch, glare, smeared oil; old or new....).

23rd May 2005, 12:59 PM	#7
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	I think of a humped surface ground down thru to make flat or concave bevels but remaining humped at the ricassoe as an older, not a newer, European feature. The sword was never much longer, and that's obvious, but I never thought it was so early; I think it's an almost-a-smallsword rapier. If it's circa 1900 it's unusually nicely made; a handmade expensive high-quality reproduction/fake. such were certainly made, and it would tend to explain a descrepancy of period between blade and hilt (the art of fence being alive and fairly well in Europe at the time, the length and balance being fitted to a customer/contemporary would then make sense. But neither length nor hilt are quite "right" for c16, eh? perhaps because it is a reproduction with innacuracies/contemporaneities, but what if it is instead because it is a later descendant, altered by evolution?). I have certainly seen such high quality "Victorian" reproductions, mostly various broadswords in forged iron dress. They are a far cry from the mass produced wallhanging ones with their cast one piece hilts and weak, poorly joined, and sometimes also cast blades. Kind of like putting a fine differentially hardened folded steel bowie in the same category with a piece of laser-cut surgical stainless junk in a zinc handle, as (in this case) "modern fantasy knives". People do, too, but I think it a grievous error. An irate person told Therion that I make "perfectly good" (always an odd assumption) bayonets into fantasy daggers daggers actually don't get much realer than the ones I've made out of bayonet blades I don't have a detailed chronological knowledge of rapier hilts; that's for sure, as well. I've seen a lot of the things, but they're not my favourite swords, and specific date and place, though interesting, are always the least interesting things about a sword to me, so take my comments on this subject in that light I certainly can't decide even to my own satisfaction; I can only provide thinking points. I see a line that could be a fold line in the one photo of the tip, but it could be a lot of other things, too (scratch, glare, smeared oil; old or new....). Last edited by tom hyle; 23rd May 2005 at 01:25 PM.