Hi everybody

I just finished this beauty. An Italian sidesword.

Stats:
Overall length: 104cm
Blade length: 90cm
Blade width: 3,6cm
PoB: 15cm in front of guard, 11cm in front of finger rings
CoP: 61cm / 57cm
Weight: 1130g

Sideswords are very interesting swords. They combine a long and slender blade that would not be uncommon on a late medieval arming sword with a complex hilt that already shows the development towards much more protective hilts. The fencing style shown in sources like Achille Marozzo’s treatise (1536) mirrors this with aspects of both the earlier as well as later period fencing sources.

Dynamically, this sword with its complex hilts offers excellent point control as well as a flowing and inviting presence in the cut. The 90cm long blade features a non-linear distal taper, keeping it suitably stiff for very effective thrusts as well as making the point light and nimble. The blade retains enough width all the way up to the point to allow for effective cutting actions with the entire edge. Overall, this sword manages to be very well balanced between cut and thrust without seemingly sacrificing much on either part.

The fittings are fire blackened which aside from its aesthetic value offers a degree of rust protection, quite useful on a piece where fingering the guard is the common way of holding the sword. The slight ricasso at the blade’s base features rounded edges to make this practice comfortable.

I hope you like it!

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I like the hilt style a lot. A bit Norman 28 but a bit of 16,21 in style. I like blackening and plain finishes and it's nice when you see it on originals as was quite common I think but has sometimes been worn away or cleaned away. The ricasso is not squared off, I see, or thicker than the blade, so you chose to go with a continuation of the blade profile in the ricasso but just blunted ?

Attractive hilt. I like it.

Daniel

Wow, I can not tell you how much I like that! What a great looking piece!

Glad to hear you guys like it!

Daniel Parry wrote:

The ricasso is not squared off, I see, or thicker than the blade, so you chose to go with a continuation of the blade profile in the ricasso but just blunted ?

Yes, the sword features a diamond cross section over the entire length with a shallow, blunted and rounded cut-out at the base forming the ricasso (if you want to call it such).

Hi Lukas

What examples did you use to decide the shape of the ricasso ? I am interested as most early-mid 16th century swords of that type that I have seen have what you would describe as a ricasso and it is squared off, blockish and more substantial than the blade which it continues from it (as you would see in rapiers). Some I have seen in museums and books (in books it's hard to tell sometimes depending on the quality of the photo) have what appears to be a ricasso/continuation of the blade below the rings which is more a rounded or blunted following of the shape of the blade. Of the examples I have seen these have been less common. As time goes on they largely disappear I think ? I am just interested on what examples you modelled it on to fill in my knowledge.

Cheers

Daniel

What's the distal taper on this sword? Is 15cm balance a bit heavy?

This sword is now for sale. Asking price is 3400 Euros.

The sword is sold. Thank you for looking :)