[Rebecca Mason]

Hello there...

My question is actually more of a plea for accurate knowledge! I'm currently part of a stage management team putting together a production of Othello for a London based drama school (LAMDA). I have been researching Italian and Spanish Weapons used between 1550 and 1650. Namely: Swords & Daggers.
Also, there is call for a "simitar" to be used on stage... Would these have been around during this period? and if not, could anyone suggest another alternative?

AND finally! Placed in with this period I am looking into flags from both Venice and Cyprus of the time - in relation to thier conflict - for use as stage dressing. However, we are having trouble coming across pictures... Any ideas on where to hunt?

We have done alot of research into this field so far.. However, the vast majority is just bundled as "italian swords" without definition of period

Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appriciated!

Many thanks to all who read this and even more to those to respond!

Rebecca Mason x

[Jonathon Janusz]

Hello and welcome

Have you taken a look at the articles on the Itallians and the Spanish in the Features section of this site? (the link is at the top of the page just below the logo). They should help with some ideas on the flags and maybe give you some direction on the rest.

Cheers!

[Richard Fay]

Hello all!

Rebecca,
I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for in regard to Italian and Spanish weapons of 1550-1650, but I can give you an idea of what's out there in terms of print resources with pictures.

I've found a few Italian weapons of that period pictured in Sword and Hilt Weapons by Michael D. coe, et al. On page 61 in the chapter "From Rapier to smallsword" by Anthony North there is a photo of an "Italian rapier of about 1610. The hilt is steel, damascened in gold and silver. On the ricasso are the arms of Count Pio Capodilista (d. 1617). It is rare for the arms of an individual to appear on a sword." On page 62 of the same book, there is a photo of an Italian rapier and a matching left-hand dagger. This is what the caption says in this case: "Matching Italian rapier and left-hand dagger with hilts of pierced and chiselled steel signed by Antonio di Cilenta of Naples. They were made in about 1650."

Maybe someone else could post pictures (I can't with my ridiculously limited scanner).

You might want to try a search for "shamshir", which I believe is the more correct term for a scimitar (it looks like they misspelled "scimitar" in your source). You might find something then! (I believe there were whole threads about that particular weapon).

I hoped this helped a little!

(I just noticed that, when I posted this, Italian rapier was highlighted. Click on the link, and it will take you to a nice article about the Italian rapier.)

Stay safe!

[Sean Flynt]

In the historical context in question, "simitar" might refer to a falchion (a.k.a., messer, cutlass, hanger) unless the reference is explicitly to, say, a Turkish weapon. All the European weapons mentioned above tend be distinguished by relatively short, broad, curved blades with hilts of varying complexity (the more complex forms would tend to be ca. 1600). Here's one from the Albums here that represents one of the simpler forms of the European falchion/messer/cutlass/hanger of the period:

http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/1022.html

I suspect that this design would share some key characteristics with the more "exotic" Eastern weapons most of us think of when we read the term "scimitar". Maybe some of our Eastern arms & armour experts will chime in here.

For the other weapons, I'd suggest looking here:

http://www.czernys.com/auctions_category.php?...;catsel=15

This is an Italian auction house, so many of the swords they sell are Italian. Identification info typically includes century, so you'll easily be able to pick out a variety of examples from the period of your interest.

You'll also find great visual information in books about Renaissance artists, who often depicted the arms of their own period. Search for "Judith and Holofernes," for example, and you'll see a variety of arms depicted. Here's one version of that story showing what is presumably an Italian weapon of ca. 1612 (the time of the painting).

[Rebecca Mason]

Hey there... Thank you so much for you help gents! I've been really struggling with this.. We're working on a budget of pennies and looking for the right style of sword thats blunted has been a nightmare! I'm having real trouble. However, knowing what to look for was half the battle! x