Rapière à garde en coquille, Espagne vers... - Lot 215 - Pierre Bergé & Associés

Rapière à garde en coquille, Espagne vers 1680-1700. A Spanish cup-hilt rapier, circa 1680-1700. With slender blade of flattened diamond section, rectangular ricasso struck with a mark on both sides, in a recess, A over two pellets, iron hilt formed with a pair of long straight quillons spirally fluted towards the button terminals, joined to the knuckle-guard both at the base and by a small branch at the median, the knuckle-guard en suite with the quillons, cupguard formed as a pair of fluted shells each slotted over the top and sides, the inner-and outer-shells joined at the sides by a concentric series of looped bars and linked by further branches to both the knuckle-guard and the rear quillon, compressed pommel cut with scallop shells and rising to a prominent button, and retaining its original rectangular grip wrapped with patterned wire set between a pair of collars. L. overall: 119.5 cm - L. blade: 108 cm - W.: 31,5 cm. For a commentary on this type of hilt, including examples found in portraits of the period, see NORMAN, A.V.B., The Rapier and Small-Sword, 1460- 1820, London, 1980, Hilt 83, pp. 156-7.