A RARE NORTH EUROPEAN ~PAPPENHEIM~ RAPIER, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 17TH CENTURY

A RARE NORTH EUROPEAN ~PAPPENHEIM~ RAPIER, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 17TH CENTURY with slender blade of flattened-hexagonal section, cut with a short fuller on each face and with traces of an inscription on one side, plain rectangular ricasso, steel hilt of moulded bars, comprising straight quillons swelling at the terminals, knuckle-guard with a swollen moulding in the centre, inner and outer ring-guards of three bars of increasing size from the base, each en suite with the knuckle-guard and the lower two fitted with sprung-in plate finely pierced with a series of stars and circles, the upper ring joined to the knuckle-guard by an additional matching bar, ovoid pommel, and early grip of plaited wire with ~Turk~s heads~ 115.5cm; 45 1/2in blade The construction of the hilt is notable in the adoption of two as opposed to one pair of pierced sprung-in plates. This highly unusual feature was no doubt designed both for protection and additional blade-catching potential. Provenance Sold in this room, 28th June 2006, lot 296