細節
AN ITALIAN SILVER-ENCRUSTED SWEPT-HILT RAPIER
circa 1610-20
With slender blade of hollow-diamond section tapering to a long very narrow point (rivelled towards the point), recessed ricasso, the latter of hollow-rectangular section and struck with two bladesmith's marks, one 'TO', a simplified coronet above (the other indistinguishable), iron hilt of rounded slender bars (previously blued), decorated over its principal surfaces with symmetrical arrangements of encrusted silver lozenges and pellets enclosing recessed ovals filled with vacant brass panels (previously gilt), all set between silver segmental lines and the salient areas of decoration set against a contrasting pounced ground, and with later spirally moulded grip bound with brass wire and 'Turk's heads' (small pieces of linear inlay missing, the pommel an expert replacement).
43½in (110.5cm) blade