Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > European Armoury

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 8th July 2014, 06:14 PM   #1
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default rapier for comment

Hello all ,

since i'm new here an i've got to start somewhere i tought to post this rapier up for comment's.
I found it as a sleeper in untouched condition, lengt is 124 cm or 49 inch.


Kind regards

ulfberth
Attached Images
    
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th July 2014, 06:47 PM   #2
fernando
(deceased)
 
fernando's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,694
Default

Welcome to the fórum, Ulfberth .
Is this your 'nom de guerre' because you collect Ulfberht swords ?
This is very a nice rapier. Do you have any ideas about its provenance ... not Spanish, is it ?
fernando is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th July 2014, 07:18 PM   #3
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default

Hi Fernando,

wel i chose ulfberth with the h at the end to avoid copy rights
nom de guerre... why not, collecting the ulfberht swords is out of the question i suppose... but i kike the mysticisme aroud the name.

The rapier came from the southern of France and could be Spanish or French, i even remember some English look alikes so im not quite sure...yet

greetings

Ulfberth
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9th July 2014, 03:50 PM   #4
Multumesc
Member
 
Multumesc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Romania
Posts: 203
Default rapier for comment

Very interesting Rapier.
Multumesc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 9th July 2014, 10:52 PM   #5
Dmitry
Member
 
Dmitry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 607
Default

This type of hilt dates to the mid-17th c., I would say ca.1650-1670. I don't think it's Spanish at all, or Italian, for that matter. North European, in my opinion.
Dmitry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th July 2014, 01:35 AM   #6
Matchlock
(deceased)
 
Matchlock's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking
Posts: 4,310
Default

Hi Ulfberth,


Concerning your user name, please hang on.

Dmitry is right.
The rapier looks completely genuine and definitely 2nd half to late 17th century; it is
preserved in virtually 'untouched' condition, its overall appearance suggesting private use rather than 'military'.
It looks quite dry and flaky, wanting a few drops of (olive) oil; applying them to a piece of linen cloth would preserve it for generations to come.


Now allow an excursion on ULFBERHT swords, this being the authentic spelling.

Those early knightly wrought-iron blades bear witness of the skills of the Romanesque period swordsmiths (1oth century):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque_art
Note attachments.

For basic reading cf.

- Ewart Oakeshott's typology:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewart_Oakeshott

- Bill Blake's site:
- http://sword-site.com/thread/287/oak...d-sinigelrinis
AND:
- Alfred Geibig
's PhD thesis:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulfberht
- http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_geibig.html
- http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&...70138588,d.ZWU

Dr. Alfred Geibig
documented his comprehensive research in Medieval swords carrying the reader along all the way.
Striving to achieve that specific style is basic of scholarly works which, by their
academic prerequisites, are bound to make heavy reading.
Geibig is curator of the comprehensive historic arsenal collection of Arms & Armor preserved at the Veste Coburg, Upper Franconia/North Western Bavaria.
The Tage des Donners reenactments sheltered by the mighty Fortress of
Coburg (the days of thunder actions) are notorious for making any weaponry enthusiast's dream come true employing all kinds of antique arms and equipment. The range of items firing black powder provided includes the esoteric corner of incendiary objects like arrows, grenades, quoits etc.
Andi will testify!

Though finally quitting the lectorate he still is the contemporary godfather of the Gesellschaft für historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde e.V. founded in 1896, and the inspiring impetus/driving force behind it all. Had it not been for him, our
time-honored journal would have literally died 1o-15 years ago. His struggle saved it from years of agony, and breathed new and powerful life into it.
My dear friend Armin König is a friend of Alfred Geibig's.
Compared to their modesty, I'm Landsknecht natured; the archaic Bavarian
Bos primigenius taurus believed extinct since 1627.
Among other things, I owe Alfred Geibig personal contacts that may help preserve what I defined my lifetime achievement four decades ago:
The Michael Trömner Collection
.

Attached find some images of 10th c. swords.



Best
from a chilly 7 degrees centigrade Bavarian night - with the calendar suggesting it is July,
Michael

P.S. I guess I will turn on the central heating today ... for the first time in any July I remember ...


Attached Images
    

Last edited by Matchlock; 10th July 2014 at 07:59 AM.
Matchlock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th July 2014, 06:02 PM   #7
fernando
(deceased)
 
fernando's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,694
Default

I once had the previlege to be authorized to handle a fair number of Viking swords ... ULFBERHT examples included.
It felt like i was committing a sacrilege .
fernando is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th July 2014, 06:29 PM   #8
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default

wanted to post picturess after cleaning, but the file was too large, i"ll try again....
Attached Images
     
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th July 2014, 06:23 PM   #9
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default

Thanks Matchlock for sharing your knowledge on my war name,
i did some reading in the past myself however not that intensive.

I included some more pictures of the rapier after i cleaned it.
I re-attached the grip wire, not restored because i dont want to open an untouched piece and ruin it
So in the proces i just used the original left overs of the grip wire that remained, (some were in bits and pieces) and added nothing to it, correction except pine tree glue that i make myself.

The gaurd has been cleaned with verry fine steelwol and then waxed with beeswax and after that rubbed and cleaned of with soft cloth and thus keeping the dark patina

For the blade i choose to go a bit further because i like to be able to see the structures in the mettal, and it is finished of with , yes olive oil !

and here is the end result...

kind regards

ulfberth ( the bishop ? or the viking ? )
Attached Images
       
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10th July 2014, 08:59 PM   #10
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmitry
This type of hilt dates to the mid-17th c., I would say ca.1650-1670. I don't think it's Spanish at all, or Italian, for that matter. North European, in my opinion.
Hi Dmitry,
thanks for sharing, what make's you thing in the direction of north european ?
Do you mean German or rather dutch or Scandinavian ?
I sommetimes find it hard to determin on sivillian rapiers because they were made to the taste of the swordmaker or owner and are more ore less inspired by military models.

kind regards

Ulfberth
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th July 2014, 12:04 PM   #11
cornelistromp
Member
 
cornelistromp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,058
Default

the hilt with the saucer shaped guard and a small curl on the knuckle guard opposite the fore finger is of Norman type 93.
it can be dated about 1635-1660.
in art:
David Teniers II - a guard room scene, Six collection Amsterdam
Portrait Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Tyrol, KHM Viena inv. no 8023
real examples:
a similar hilt in the muse de l'armee, paris cat no J-264
cf Wallace no A677 with the rear quillon dividing into two branches. 1635-1640

best,
Attached Images
 

Last edited by cornelistromp; 12th July 2014 at 12:17 PM.
cornelistromp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th July 2014, 04:52 PM   #12
ulfberth
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 403
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cornelistromp
the hilt with the saucer shaped guard and a small curl on the knuckle guard opposite the fore finger is of Norman type 93.
it can be dated about 1635-1660.
in art:
David Teniers II - a guard room scene, Six collection Amsterdam
Portrait Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Tyrol, KHM Viena inv. no 8023
real examples:
a similar hilt in the muse de l'armee, paris cat no J-264
cf Wallace no A677 with the rear quillon dividing into two branches. 1635-1640

best,
Thanks Cornelis,

thats it right on the spot, should we conclude that is is therefore north italian of origine, or used troughout Europe...
( i'm cleaning a sinclair sword )

kind regards

Ulfberth
ulfberth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13th July 2014, 12:59 PM   #13
cornelistromp
Member
 
cornelistromp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,058
Default

At the first half of the 17th century, a radical change took place in the sword fencing style. The French school" escrime francaise" began to supplant the Italian and the Spanish fencing schools.

The main feature of this French school was smooth/loose manner of holding the sword with thumb and forefinger on each side of the the grip.
This manner of holding had great influence on the design of the hilt.
Since the focus of French fencing was merely on the thrust. the hilt was closed by a guard plate. (instead of a complex system of bars)
In order to make the sword more agile it became lighter in weight and shorter in blade length.
This eventually led to THE small word.

This development is attributed erroneously as a french development, however, Dutch paintings Rotius and Van der Hellst show an interest-rich phase in the development of the rapier to the small sword in 1648 and 1649. namely the transition rapier (The transition from rapier to small sword).
There is no historical evidence for this term transitional rapier.

It is not possible to allocate the origin of your transitional rapier, however,
it is not unlikely that your rapier is made in the low countries, Netherlands Belgium.


best,
cornelistromp is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.