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Cup-Hilted Rapier
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
For parrying, rapiers were often made with accompanying daggers as a matched set. The aristocracy's taste for rich and intricate styles of decoration led to extravagant gilding, chiseling, piercing, enameling, and silvering. The more costly or unusual these weapons appeared, the more they were desired by the clientele who commissioned them, not only for dueling but also as the ultimate accessory.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCup-Hilted Rapier, c. 1650. Spain, Toledo, 17th century. Pierced and chiseled steel; ; overall: 122.9 cm (48 3/8 in.); quillions: 26.7 cm (10 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1810
