id: 97052 accession number: 1916.706 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.706 updated: 2022-06-11 09:00:20.700000 Cup-Hilted Rapier, c.1610–30. Italy, Milan?, 17th century. Steel, pierced, chased and chiseled; wire ferrules on leather-covered wood grip; overall: 123.2 cm (48 1/2 in.); blade: 100.9 cm (39 3/4 in.); quillions: 25.2 cm (9 15/16 in.); grip: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.706 title: Cup-Hilted Rapier title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c.1610–30 creation date earliest: 1605 creation date latest: 1635 current location: 210A Armor Court creditline: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance copyright: --- culture: Italy, Milan?, 17th century technique: steel, pierced, chased and chiseled; wire ferrules on leather-covered wood grip department: Medieval Art collection: MED - Arms & Armor type: Arms and Armor find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 123.2 cm (48 1/2 in.); Blade: 100.9 cm (39 3/4 in.); Quillions: 25.2 cm (9 15/16 in.); Grip: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: description: pierced and chased cup watermarks: inscriptions: inscription: inscribed on blade: FPNDRITH (on one face) RDFTPHNI (on the other) translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Armor Court Reinstallation opening date: 1998-09-10T00:00:00 Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Ralph Bernal (1784-1854), London, England date: footnotes: citations: (Sale: Christie, Manson & Woods, London. Works of art, from the Byzantine period to that of Louis Seize. Mar 5-Apr 30, 1855.) date: 1855 footnotes: citations: George Francis William Henry Denison, Earl of Londesborough (1892-1920) date: footnotes: citations: Edwin J. Brett (1828-1895), London, England date: footnotes: citations: Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: ?-1916 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 1916- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: Over time the blade of a rapier became longer, based on a belief that a longer blade made it easier to hit one's adversary and, at the same time stay beyond the reach of his weapon. digital description: wall description: The rapier was a sword worn with civilian dress and used in duels. The term rapier derives from a 16th-century French word rapière, which in turn derived from the Spanish espada ropera, or “dress sword.” The rapier was a light weapon with a straight double-edged and pointed blade that, with the development of the art of fencing in the 1500s and 1600s, gradually became narrower and lighter, and thus suitable for thrusts only. With the new technique of swordplay emphasizing the point of the blade, sword guards became more complex to protect the duelist’s unarmored hand. These elaborate guards were frequently decorated by various techniques—chiseling, bluing, russeting, and damascening. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Christie, Manson & Woods, London. Works of art, from the Byzantine period to that of Louis Seize. Mar 5-Apr 30, 1855. page number: Mentioned: p. 213, lot 2453 url: https://archive.org/details/Byzantine/page/n261 Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 2, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. page number: Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (90) 92 url: https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour2_201602/page/n381 Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. page number: Mentioned: p. 117-118, E72; Reproduced: Plate XXXI, E72 url: https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n179 Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. page number: pp. 113, 169; cat. no. 137 url: Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. page number: cat. no. 180, p. 191 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.706/1916.706_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.706/1916.706_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.706/1916.706_full.tif