A SPANISH OFFICER'S RAPIER C.1800

This sword is a good example of the individuality and stylistic expression which influenced Spanish sword design in the colonial period. It is a rapier with its roots in the European officers small swords of the period. The boat form guard was widely adapted to the Spanish taste but seldom as faithfully as here. The wire wrapped horn grip has a distinctively colonial flavor. It likely was made as part of the armament in anticipation of Spain's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars and may have served in the Peninsular War after 1808. It is as likely to have carried on its service in the colonies including North America and the Caribbean, where Spain struggled to maintain control after Napoleon's defeat. In true Spanish character, it is as functional as it is charming.