Italy, possibly Milan / c.1610–30
Cup-Hilted Rapier
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Cup-Hilted Rapier as arms and armor (Italy, possibly Milan · c.1610–30).
Over time the blade of a rapier became longer, based on a belief that a longer blade made it easier to hit one's adversary and, at the same time stay beyond the reach of his weapon.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel, pierced, chased and chiseled; wire ferrules on leather-covered wood grip.
The museum's collection notes: The rapier was a sword worn with civilian dress and used in duels. The term rapier derives from a 16th-century French word rapière , which in turn derived from the Spanish espada ropera , or “dress sword.” The rapier was a light weapon with a straight double-edged and pointed blade that, with the development of the art of fencing in the 1500s and 1600s, gradually became narrower and lighter, and thus suitable for thrusts only. With the new technique of swordplay emphasizing the point of the blade, sword guards became more complex to protect the duelist’s unarmored hand. These elaborate guards were frequently decorated by various techniques—ch
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCup-Hilted RapierOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.