Primary Documentationnotes Accession book entry: : P. AMAURY TALBOT European broad-rapier, XVI-XVII cent., from BENIN, S. NIGERIA. (Probably of Portuguese origin).; Card Catalogue entry: : European broad-rapier, probably of Portuguese origin.; Pitt Rivers Museum label: : Broad-bladed rapier, XVI-XVII century. Probably PORTUGUESE. Found at BENIN, NIGERIA. Pres. by P.A. Talbot, 1923. [LM 24/10/2007]; Pitt Rivers Museum label: : [box label] - Sword, labelled as a rapier. 16th - 17th cent. Prob. Portuguese. Found at Benin, Nigeria. d.d. P.A. Talbot. 1923. [LM 24/10/2007]
Research Notes: The rapier is the quintessential Early Modern civilian sidearm of Europe. It was a functional development of the broadsword, which was forged thinner and longer over time. This formal change emerged from the Renaissance development of lunging thrusts in European fencing. The development of the thrust in European fencing was itself a bi-product of the widespread abandonment of armour around the time of the Renaissance, due to the increased use of firearms (Castle, 1885). In this way, we ought to recognise the completely integrated nature of all military technologies, and the manner in which changes in one aspect of technology generate repercussions in the wider material culture complex. The advantage acquired by the adoption of the lunging thrust, particularly in the range from which an attack might be rapidly mounted, is enormous – transforming one’s effective reach from a little over 1m to 3m or more. Its development in Italy – by far the most advanced European culture throughout the medieval and early modern periods, in terms of fighting techniques, metallurgy and military technology – rapidly spread throughout the continent. The rapier is a dual-use weapon, adapted to both ‘Cut and Thrust’, with a two-edged blade for cutting and a lean pointed profile for thrusting with the maximum application of force (Burton, 1884; Castle, 1885). 17th century rapiers were longer and heavier than many others from the 18th and 19th centuries. The rapier also marked a secondary revolution in European swordplay, whereby parrying was developed. This functional revolution had two formal manifestations in weapons: Firstly, it caused the experimental development of increasingly more complex and elaborate guards for the sword-hand, now brought into ever-closer proximity to the opponent’s weapon; the result of this was the basket-hilted swords of later centuries. Secondly, it brought about the almost universal abandonment of the shield in Europe, which in turn allowed for a less encumbered and more agile style of fighting to develop. In addition to these two formal results, the development of parrying with rapier encouraged the development of fencing as an art. Rapiers often have a pronounced fuller (central groove in blade), which serves to give the blade rigidity along its length, through the introduction of two structural arches within the sectional shape of the blade. This engineering solution permitted greater lengthening and thinning of the blade. Research Conducted for DCF Cutting Edge 2006/2007 [AM].
Recommended Reading: Burton, R.F. (1884) The Book of the Sword. London: Chatto & Windus. Castle, E. (1885) Schools & Masters of Fence from the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century. London: George Bell & Sons. Laking, G.F. (1910) Catalogue of the European Arms & Armour in the Wallace Collection at Hertford House. London: HMSO. Nickel, H. (2002) The Mutual Influence of Europe & Asia in the Field of Arms & Armour. In Nicolle, D. (ed.) Companion to Medieval Arms & Armour, pp. 107-25. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. [2006/2007 AM]