View Single Post
Old 19th October 2020, 07:28 PM   #12
shayde78
Member
 
shayde78's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 442
Default

...and i'm derelict in mentioning how beautiful the other examples posted are. I'd love to bring them all together and let them share stories like a function at a VFW hall.

I do suspect there could be an inscription in the fuller, but I don't believe it could be uncovered without severely altering this blade, and with no guarantee that any inscription would still be present (if it ever existed).

Jim, as for the rompepuntas, not that my example has this feature, but I believe these were a very pragmatic refinement. I know sport fencing doesn't have a lot of bearing on how historical weapons were used, but if I may digress, as an epee fencer I often made use of a technique of glancing my tip on the edge of my opponent's bell and scoring a touch on the hand since there was nothing to stop the point from sliding off the guard and striking the fingers/wrist behind. I have to imagine that this was something that occurred frequently enough when using live blades that rolling the edge of a cup guard to 'catch' the tip made good sense. I don't presume that this allowed tips to be snapped off, or served as 'sword catchers', but still useful.

Also, regarding the guardopolvo - I didn't know this term until I started researching my new acquisition. Initially, I couldn't figure out why something deep in the guard would be called a dust protector. However, I may have come to a conclusion that is plausible - Given the frequency with which guards, hilts, and blades were swapped and interchanged, these components wouldn't be crafted to tight specifications, but rather with some tolerances to allow for greater compatibility. The ivory wedges used as shims on Jim's piece shows the need to marry parts that don't exactly fit perfectly.

For a cup guard, the guard itself is not the easiest component to manufacture. It doesn't take a master, per se, but still, it takes time that could be spent elsewhere. So, if one wanted to make a guard that could be used on multiple blades, or one has a guard that doesn't fit snugly to the blade, the smith could craft a simply plate that both serves as a spacer, AND closes any gaps between the blade and the guard. Functionally, this would prevent dust and debris from falling into the cup and then making their way through the gap along the blade into the sword's sheath. Cup hilts would have been particularly susceptible to this problem because the cup is essentially a funnel for all matter of gunk. I can't think of another hilt design that would allow for so much debris to be channeled right into the scabbard when sheathed. Hence, the name 'dust guard' for a simple plate that serves as a spacer/shim, reinforcement for the guard, and yes, a dust protector.

I fully expect that others already knew this, but one thing I love about collecting is that I get to hold in my hand something not only artistic, but intended to be fully functional. For utilitarian pieces such as these, each element served a purpose. I enjoy reverse engineering to try to reach into the past and understand the mind of the craftspeople who made them and the people who used them to defend their own lives.

Will, now that I have my own, and won't need to compete with you as a bidder, by all means, take the plunge! It seems your collection is focused on American colonial/Revolutionary period items. I feel like one of these would fit right in

Last edited by shayde78; 20th October 2020 at 01:46 AM.
shayde78 is offline   Reply With Quote