These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
Rapier. Large, barrel-shaped pommel, boldly decorated with vertical ridges which are alternately roped and reeded. Grip bound with steel wire, consisting of alternating strands of narrow plain wire flanked on each side by a strand of narrow twisted wire, each of these treble strands being separated by a thicker twisted wire. There are Turks' heads at top and bottom. Knuckle-guard of flat, rather thick ribbon section, widening to a flat oval knob where it meets the pommel. A loop-guard joins an outside ring-guard which springs from the ends of the branches where there is a second, smaller ring-guard. Long, single rear quillon whose tip widens in the same manner as the top of the knuckle-guard. There is a strong, cusped ecusson. All of these guards are of the same flattened section, and all are decorated with a strong roped ridge running along the middle line of them. Plain back-guards of three elements. Very long narrow blade of flat hexagonal section with a deep single fuller on each side at the forte below a strong ricasso, the broader faces of which are hollowed. The tip of the blade is broadened and flattened. This characteristic flattening of the tip is to facilitate the use of a slashing sideways cut in rapier-and-dagger swordplay, called 'stramazzone'. In the ricasso are punched marks; on each side a crowned B surmounted by the crowned TO of Toledo. On each of the narrow faces of the ricasso are also crowned TO marks. In the fuller, on one side engraves in very elegant decorated letters DE PEDRO DE VELA, while on the reverse is MONTE EN TOLEDO.
Norman's hilt type 57, pommel type 32.
J.S. Henderson Bequest
Length: 120.5 cm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart
16th Century-17th Century#
Circa
1590
-
1620
This sword, though somewhat dingy, is in immaculate condition; the hilt retaining the original blue colour, now turned black.
Western European
Grip
composed of
wire
( steel)
Sword
composed of
steel
Blade
Length 112 cm
Hilt
Length 19.5 cm
Decoration
Inscription present: a crowned B surmounted by the crowned TO of Toledo
Accession number: HEN.M.212-1933
Primary reference Number: 18928
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
Mirador deep zoom
IIIF Manifest
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Rapier" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18928 Accessed: 2024-11-02 20:17:14
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18928
|title=Rapier
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-02 20:17:14|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-18928
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa25/HEN_M_212_1933_281_29.jpg"
alt="Rapier"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Rapier</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
