The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection, A Family Collection, A National Museum, An International Treasure House

Results:  1

Rapier
  • Rapier
  • Unknown Artist / Maker
  • Hilt- probably North Europe; blade- Germany
  • c. 1620 - c. 1630 (hilt (Northern Europe))
    1627 (blade (German))
  • Iron or steel, chiselled, filed and etched
  • Length: 121.7 cm
    Length: 104.7 cm, blade
    Width: 1.3 cm, blade at guard
    Weight: 1.03 kg
    Width: 24.5 cm, guard
    Balance point: 6 cm, on the ricasso
  • Inscription: 'SI . DEUS . PRO NOBIS . QUIS . CONTERA NOS . 1627 / …. ME . DOMIN . VICTORIA . A . DEO . 1627' In Roman capitals
    Maker's mark
  • A578
  • European Armoury III
Commentary
History
Further Reading
  • Rapier, the swept hilt made up of a spherical pommel decorated with herring-bone fluting, and with large button; vertically fluted, wire-bound grip (modern); straight crossguard; knuckle-guard, with a loop-guard joining the hilt-arms, double ring-guard, on the forward end of which is a side-ring; all of hexagonal section chiselled with herring-bone fluting, the ends and centres of the guards enhanced with knobs of rectangular section. Slender blade, of diamond section changing to hexagonal at the forte where it is etched with scrolls and inscribed in neat Roman capitals:

    SI . DEUS . PRO NOBIS . QUIS . CONTERA NOS . 1627
    …….ME . DOMIN . VICTORIA . A . DEO . 1627

    The ricasso is etched with scrolls and bears a bladesmith's mark on each side.

    Norman and Barne, 1980, pp.120, 126,232 and 372; De Beaumont Catalogue, No. 48 and pl. 3.