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Arms & Armor Milanese Rapier
Original: c.1570 Milan, Italy. Museo Poldi Pezzoli During the Renaissance, the tried and true cut and thrust, or side sword, gradually gave way to the rapier. Even though the rapier was much slimmer and thrusting-oriented, the early practitioners were not willing to give up the cutting potential of the older designs. In early rapier techniques the cut was given as much consideration as the thrust. Arms & Armor's Milanese rapier would have been very familiar to the early masters of defense. The Milanese immediately puts to rest the impressions of Hollywood's lighter than air rapier play. This sword is as heavy as, even heavier, than some earlier cutting designs. It's designed to be used with an ancillary weapon such as a dagger or buckler. When used in this proper fashion, the Milanese handles quite nicely. The blade follows the point well in a thrust and tracks well in cutting maneuvers. The Milanese features a checkerboard pattern on its furniture that is executed in high relief. This lends the sword a very attractive appearance this is, to my knowledge, unique in the replica market. The furniture is blued using a modern hot chemical process. When combined with a wire-wrapped grip the effect is striking. Overall length: 43.75" Weight: 2.875 pounds Width of guard: 9.75" Blade: 37.4" long; 1.2" wide tapering to .65" Grip: 3.25" long Point of Balance (PoB): 4.4" from guard Center of Percussion (CoP): ~25" from guard Maker: Arms & Armor of Minnesota 
Inspired by many historic
originals, such as the hilt of this rapier, Circa 1570, now located in Milan. Click to enlarge |
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