The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Rapier

Rapier

c. 1610
Overall: 125.2 cm (49 5/16 in.); Blade: 110 cm (43 5/16 in.); Quillions: 25 cm (9 13/16 in.); Grip: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.)

Description

The rapier was a sword worn with civilian dress and used in duels. The term rapier derives from the 16th-century French word rapière, which in turn was 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—chiseling, bluing, russeting, and damascening.
  • Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #400.
  • Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: p. 91, E18 archive.org
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"
  • {{cite web|title=Rapier|url=false|author=|year=c. 1610|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1719