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Old 1st January 2021, 01:51 AM   #17
shayde78
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Thank you for all the additional thoughts and comments.

Yes, the term 'court sword' ( épée de cour) is appropriately applied to this item. As for this being munitions-grade, I am inclined to agree, to an extent. These cut steel hills were designed to sparkle like the more expensively embellished silver hilted versions. Still, these were the formal wear of smallswords, and contemporary with swords still intended to be carried into battle. So, not exactly the low-grade pragmatic design I associate with munition grade for the common soldier. Much more what the middle class merchants would wear.

As for the pas d'ans - as I said, the 'branches' here are vestigial, and do not serve a purpose other than to suggest the earlier forms. The examples on this item are NOT designed to support the guard as they float above the guard and do not touch it. As said above (I think by Jim), fencing masters of the last half of the 1700s began to discourage students from looping their fingers through these rings and the design of hilts soon followed this new convention.

It is an interesting exercise to consider this specific evolution of sword hilts. The addition of a ring above the quillion is evident from at least the late 1300s (see attached image of Grant Cronica de Espanya 1377-1396, Aragon, Spain). This feature was obviously a way to protect the finger that many swordsman hooked over the quillions to gain better control. If you look at the corrosion pattern on less than pristine blades on medieval swords, there is sometimes a divot on one side of the blade that may be a result of slightly more wear caused by the finger resting there (we all know how skin oil can oxidize blades to noticeable effect). Or, perhaps the edge was filed blunt to create a primitive ricasso on one side. I contend that as the use of the point became an increasing part of sword use, the benefits of looping a finger over the quillions became more of a common practice. There must have been a compelling reason to do so as of suspect the risk of injury was rather great. That said, over time, the innovation of a ring to protect the finger was developed. An elegant example of form and innovation being dictated by function and actual use.

Of course, over the next 200 years, or so, these simple finger rings were added to. As the full gauntlet became less common, the hilt became more elaborate to protect the hand. As an aside, I've recently started to consider that the abandonment of the gauntlet was caused by the need to operate a firearm. Wearing a metal glove while operating a lock that causes ignition via sparks also probably held some hazards beyond the ways a metal mitten might hinder necessary dexterity. But I digress.

These finger rings were the first pas d'ane. As a definition, I consider these initially to have been protection for a finger or fingers that rest on the ricasso above the crossguard. This definition holds true through the evolution of the rapier (and rapier-hilted arming swords). With the development of the cuphilt, the pas d'anes took on the function of providing structure to which the guard was secured. At this point, however, with a full cup guard, the original intention of the finger rings was now obsolete.

This brings us to transitional rapier. One of the features that define this phase is that the ricasso was no longer a meaningful part of the blade. In transitional rapiers, the hand remains behind the guard, with no exposed blade behind the guard for the fingers to grip. There are no quillions (or rarely so), and the handling is starting to foreshadow that of smallswords (albeit with larger hints and significantly longer blades). On these models, the pas d'ane served to maintain the ergonomics of controlling a point at the end of a long blade and the thrust was the prioritized means of attack. This is why the rings are full sized and functional.

As the smallsword evolved, it became shorter and lighter. Fencing became a series of more subtle movements and masters taught that the sword should be held more like a pencil with the thumb and pointer fingers controlling the point while the middle, ring, and pinkie fingers controlled lateral parries. With these techniques, the swordsman would be hampered in their movements if they continued to utilize the pas d'anes. Therefore, they could be eliminated. However, because for centuries they were part of hilt design, there was a phase of about 65 years (1750s-1810s) where they became smaller and non-functional, but were retained for aesthetics. I have seen some resurrection of the concept of the later pas d'anes on sword hilt for heavier blades. I have an example discussed

here estimated to be from the first half of the 1800s. This has a heavier spadroon blade, and the single finger rest nicely increases the agility of its handling. I am reminded of the difference between a French grip on a fencing epee or foil and a pistol grip. The simple feature of the finger rest offers ergonomic benefits, and that kind of brings us back to the origin of the pas d'ane.

I'm glad my court sword brought up this topic as it is one I have dominated about for awhile. I am curious to hear your thoughts of my ramblings. As a former competitive fencer I am intrigued by how these objects functioned, and I'm always keen to consider the ways in which the functional becomes art. This field is fascinating because the stakes were high when we consider the circumstances for which weapons were designed, and yet we still see the tension between preserving convention, bowing to the fashion of the day, and embracing pragmatism. The psychology at play is still evident today in so many ways.

(image below was referenced above and is image of Grant Cronica de Espanya 1377-1396, Aragon, Spain
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