A GERMAN RAPIER with broad sharply tapering blade of flattened diamond section, recessed ricasso struck with a crowned B in a shield, iron hilt comprising vertically recurved quillons with fishtail ends, large loop-guard on the outside linking the base of the front quillon to the tip of the rear arm, small ring-guard linking the tips of the arms and flanked by two upcurved fishtail-tipped bars, trifurcated inner-guard, pierced fishtail pommel, and writhen wooden grip bound with twisted brass wire, early 17th Century | Christie's

Lot 83

A GERMAN RAPIER with broad sharply tapering blade of flattened diamond section, recessed ricasso struck with a crowned B in a shield, iron hilt comprising vertically recurved quillons with fishtail ends, large loop-guard on the outside linking the base of the front quillon to the tip of the rear arm, small ring-guard linking the tips of the arms and flanked by two upcurved fishtail-tipped bars, trifurcated inner-guard, pierced fishtail pommel, and writhen wooden grip bound with twisted brass wire, early 17th Century

Details

A GERMAN RAPIER with broad sharply tapering blade of flattened diamond section, recessed ricasso struck with a crowned B in a shield, iron hilt comprising vertically recurved quillons with fishtail ends, large loop-guard on the outside linking the base of the front quillon to the tip of the rear arm, small ring-guard linking the tips of the arms and flanked by two upcurved fishtail-tipped bars, trifurcated inner-guard, pierced fishtail pommel, and writhen wooden grip bound with twisted brass wire, early 17th Century
37½in. blade

Lot Essay

This belongs to a large group of swords from the old Innsbruck arsenal now at Schloss Ambras near Innsbruck. See A.V.B. Norman, The Rapier and Small-Sword, 1980, p.88

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