A PORTUGUESE CUP HILTED SWORD

[fernando]

From the period of King Dom João V (circa 1700).
Not a noble man's court piece, but a regional warrior specimen. As atypical details, the knuckleguard, which is neider screwed ( military) nor loose (civilian), but welded into the pommel; and the double ball patterning in the knuckle bow.
I hope you people like it.
Fernando

[Jim McDougall]

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

[fernando]

Ji Jim,

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... I have often wondered if the swords of Spain and Portugal were much the same ...
... But the question is, just how early did the cupguard hilt develop, and where were these used ...

Let me translate Eduardo Nobre ... and sorry if i repeat something already known .


Bowl cup hilt guard swords are characteristic in the Peninsular armoury, with their origins based on the XVII century. The fabrication and, in the large sense, the use of these swords in Europe, that is, outside Spain and its empire, were very rare. Widely known and of excelent quality are the specimens produced in Naples which, at the period, belonged to the Spanish throne; such as Portugal, annexated to the Spanish empire since 1580.
Germany produced swords of this kind, specially blades, plenty of them with forged signatures of Spanish smiths, but this production was aimed at responding to the great search of these weapons in the vaste territories under Spanish dominium. Initialy these swords have a common typology, Hispano-Portuguese. Legends on blades are of a religious meaning (Mi sinal es El Santissimo ... In Mene ...) or honourabilty (No me saques sin razon ...).
After the 1640 revolution, cup hilt swords take a party. During the restoration war, blades show up with patriotic legends (Viva Portugal ...); and, which is of utmost interest, will be those legends that will make us understand the longevity of this sword type in Portugal, where we find exemplars inscribed with references to monarchs like King Dom José, or even to Queen Dona Maria I (reigned 1777-1816). Both in Portugal and Spain they were produced and used during all XVIII century. The surviving ones have served in conflicts in the first half of the XIX century, namely in the various Portuguese civil wars, when all population involvement demanded for the resource of all kinds of fire and white arms.

Hope the above is of some interest.
Fernando

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Ji Jim,




Let me translate Eduardo Nobre ... and sorry if i repeat something already known .


Bowl cup hilt guard swords are characteristic in the Peninsular armoury, with their origins based on the XVII century. The fabrication and, in the large sense, the use of these swords in Europe, that is, outside Spain and its empire, were very rare. Widely known and of excelent quality are the specimens produced in Naples which, at the period, belonged to the Spanish throne; such as Portugal, annexated to the Spanish empire since 1580.
Germany produced swords of this kind, specially blades, plenty of them with forged signatures of Spanish smiths, but this production was aimed at responding to the great search of these weapons in the vaste territories under Spanish dominium. Initialy these swords have a common typology, Hispano-Portuguese. Legends on blades are of a religious meaning (Mi sinal es El Santissimo ... In Mene ...) or honourabilty (No me saques sin razon ...).
After the 1640 revolution, cup hilt swords take a party. During the restoration war, blades show up with patriotic legends (Viva Portugal ...); and, which is of utmost interest, will be those legends that will make us understand the longevity of this sword type in Portugal, where we find exemplars inscribed with references to monarchs like King Dom José, or even to Queen Dona Maria I (reigned 1777-1816). Both in Portugal and Spain they were produced and used during all XVIII century. The surviving ones have served in conflicts in the first half of the XIX century, namely in the various Portuguese civil wars, when all population involvement demanded for the resource of all kinds of fire and white arms.

Hope the above is of some interest.
Fernando

Absolutely Fernando!!! Well done and thank you for the translated material
Definitely outstanding reference to add to the notes!

All the best,
Jim