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Phillip Smith




Location: Australia
Joined: 28 May 2013
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PostPosted: Fri 15 Aug, 2014 4:21 am    Post subject: A & A Musketeer Rapier ?         Reply with quote

Hi to Everyone,

This is my first post on this forum, I am very new to sword collecting.

Can anyone give me any information on the Arms & Armor Musketeer Rapier ?

What type of rapier is it, what would be its time period and were would it have been created and used?

Many thanks,

Phil.

Phil Smith
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Craig Peters




PostPosted: Fri 15 Aug, 2014 5:28 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I'm not an expert on rapiers, but since no one else has responded, I will.

This rapier is a swept hilt rapier. When I first saw it, I thought it was probably late 16th to early 17th century, and the A&A description supports this dating with the mention that the sword it's based upon is from 1590 AD. From the images, it looks like this sword might be mounted with a cut and thrust blade (I'm not sure exactly what to call the blade shape) along the lines of the Munich town guard swords.

I don't know too much about where rapier blades and hilts were manufactured, so I won't say much on this. The Holy Roman Empire was still a major center for blade manufacturing, but there were other locations as well.

As for where it was used, probably almost anywhere in Europe. There are not all that many swords that can be identified as distinctively "French" or "German" in style or design instead of simply being pan-European.The only thing I can see that might point to a more geographically narrow usage is the aforementioned blade shape, which is associated to some degree with Germany.
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Phillip Smith




Location: Australia
Joined: 28 May 2013
Likes: 14 pages

Posts: 2

PostPosted: Fri 15 Aug, 2014 11:50 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hi Craig,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply.

Your information is exactly what I am after and it will help me in my decision of whether or not to buy this sword.

I really like cut and thrust type rapiers which you have said this one is.

Again thank you very much,

Phil.

Phil Smith
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Nathan Robinson
myArmoury Admin


myArmoury Admin

PostPosted: Thu 04 Sep, 2014 1:17 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Please have a look here:

http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/perman...881659|429

Quote:
Rapier

Blade made by bladesmith Peter Munsten the Elder, German (active Solingen), active 1591 - 1627

Geography:
Made in Germany, Europe
Probably made in Saxony, Germany, Europe
Date:
c. 1585-1600
Medium:
Engraved steel [blade]; pierced and blued iron, wood, iron wire [hilt]
Curatorial Department:
European Decorative Arts and Sculpture
Object Location:
* Gallery 249, Arms and Armor, second floor (Kretzschmar von Kienbusch Galleries)

Accession Number:
1977-167-576
Credit Line:
Bequest of Carl Otto Kretzschmar von Kienbusch, 1977





 Attachment: 229.34 KB
© 2014 Philadelphia Museum of Art [ Download ]

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Radovan Geist




Location: Slovakia
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Likes: 5 pages

Posts: 399

PostPosted: Thu 04 Sep, 2014 4:28 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I can only agree with Craig - youŽd typically call it a "swept-hilt". I also agree that their use couldnŽt be restricted to a particular country - if you look around auction houses (my preferred choice is the Herman Historica, but there are many others) and museums, similar rapiers are called "German", "Italian", "Spanish" etc.

IŽm attaching a picture from Herman Historica - this rapier is coming from Spain (at least, the inscription on the blade supports it), and the hilt has similar general design as the A & A Musketeer.

However, there is one difference - the A&A hilt features two pierced plates. This makes it slightly different also from the rapier posted by Nathan, which does not have the "triangular" plate on the back side. To me, these two plates make the A&A one look somewhat "German" (just a subjective feeling, because of some distant similarity with Pappenheim rapiers). I remember I have seen an original with the hilt like that somewhere, but I cannot remember where. When I find it, I will post it here.

As far as the blade is concerned, I have seen swept-hilts mounted with different kinds of blades - some slender ones, good for thrusting (see the one IŽve attached), some broad and pointy, which would be good for cut & thrust. As Craig said, the A&A version looks like the later.



 Attachment: 92.18 KB
spanish-swept-hilt-1600.jpg

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Radovan Geist




Location: Slovakia
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Likes: 5 pages

Posts: 399

PostPosted: Mon 13 Oct, 2014 2:37 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Radovan Geist wrote:
... I remember I have seen an original with the hilt like that somewhere, but I cannot remember where. When I find it, I will post it here...


now I know where IŽd seen it - here at myArmoury:)
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/711.html

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