RARE ENGLISH RAPIER C.1640

The 46 5/8 tapered diamond section blade with its spatulate swelled tip represents an extreme even for its type. Blades of this extraordinary length were in vogue for only about a decade, 1635-45, and are almost always found on dish hilts. It was a time when firearms were replacing the heavy horsemens rapiers and the dueling, driven by the Italian fencing schools, was increasingly popular and sophisticated. Dating to the period of the English Civil Wars and Pilgrims, this example certainly rates among a handful of the longest rapiers existent. cf: The Wallace collection, A508 for an example with 43 1/4 blade and our catalog 59, #252 and #253 for related examples.