182
182 A RAPIER, PROBABLY GERMAN LATE 16TH CENTURY with slender blade of flattened-hexagonal section (the tip shortened), stamped with a bladesmith’s inscription including ‘in Toledo’ within a short fuller on each side (indistinct, areas of pitting), steel hilt of rounded bars comprising a pair of straight quillons with bud-shaped finials finely cut with a nodular pattern, knuckle-guard with recurved finial en suite with the quillon terminals, a pair of ring-guards, multi-bar outer guard with three bars joining the knuckle-guard, trifurcated innerguard incorporating a thumb-loop, and ovoid pommel cut with a matching nodular pattern, and spirally moulded grip bound with plaited brass wire and ‘Turks’ heads’ 101cm; 39 3/4in blade £4000-6000
183
183 A NORTH EUROPEAN PAPPENHEIMER RAPIER, CIRCA 1630 with slender tapering blade of flattened-hexagonal section, stamped with a pious inscription within a short fuller framed by decorative marks on each face, ricasso stamped with the bladesmith’s mark on each side, symmetrical steel hilt of rounded bars (pitted), including a pair of straight quillons, lower ring-guard fitted with a pierced sprung-in plate and joined to the upper ring-guard by a pair of short arms and a rectangular panel, knuckle-guard joined to the ring guards by a pair of arms, and ovoid pommel, decorated throughout with simple chiselled designs, and later grip bound with plaited wire and ‘Turks’ heads’ 114.5cm; 45in blade ‡ £2500-3500
75