Rapier

Sword maker Daniele da Serravalle Italian

Not on view

The rapier was the principal civilian sidearm throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Designed for cut-and-thrust fencing of progressively complex techniques, the rapier is characterized by a double-edged blade with an acute point and an elaborate guard for the hand. The guards, usually of iron or steel, were subject to a variety of embellishment. They were engraved, chiseled, gilded, damascened, and encrusted in gold and silver in keeping with fashionable styles.

Unless otherwise noted, the materials, attributions, and dating given here refer to the hilts. Rapier blades, invariably of steel, bear a variety of maker’s marks denoting their origin in the two principal centers of blademaking, Toledo in Spain and Solingen in Germany.

Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Detail

Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan
Rapier, Daniele da Serravalle (Italian, Milan, active mid-sixteenth century), Steel, iron, gold, Italian, Milan

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.