GERMAN SWEPT HILTED RAPIER C.1600

Type identified in The Rapier and Smallsword 1460-1820, Norman, as type 52, dated C.1550-1630. Iron hilt with elegantly swept bars and faceted pommel. Iron wire wrapped grip. 42 ¾” blade marked CLEMENS ENCRETS EN TOLEDO. That inscription is likely spurious, intended to embrace the cachet of foreign, particularly Spanish blade makers. The practice was common and is well documented in museum catalogs. An iconic example of magnificent proportions well preserved for the period.