er'he .9fcademy of the Sword
ILLUSTRATED FENCING BOOKS 1500-1800
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THE
METROPOLITAN
MUSEUM
OF
ART
efhe !Academy # the Sword
ILLUSTRATED FENCING BOOKS 1500-1800
Donald]. LaRocca
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK
This publication is issued in conjunction with the exhibition "The Academy of the Sword: Illustrated Fencing
Books, 1500-1800," held at The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York, from June 9, 1998, to fall of 1999.
Black-and-white photography by Susanne Cardone
and Paul Lachenauer of The Photograph Studio,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This publication is made possible byJoseph A. Suarez, Esq.,
The Armor and Arms Club of New York, and the Grancsay
Fund.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Printed and bound by Malloy Lithographing, Inc.,
Cover illustration: Anthon Friedrich Kahn, Anfangsgriinde
der Fechtkunst ... (see page 18)
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
John P. O'Neill, Editor in Chief
Barbara Cavaliere, Editor
Sean Flaherty, Production
Design by Robert Weisberg
Copyright © 1998 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York
Second printing 1999
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
LaRocca, Donald].
The academy of the sword: illustrated fencing
books 1500-1800 / Donald]. LaRocca.
p.
cm.
Exhibition heldJune 1998 through the fall of 1999
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
ISBN 0-87099-894-3 (pbk.)
1. Fencing in art-Exhibitions. 2. FencingTextbooks-Illustrations-Exhibitions. 3. Illustrated
books-New York (State)-New York-Exhibitions.
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y:).
Arms and Armor Dept. I. Metropolitan Museum of
Art (New York, N.Y:) II. Title.
N82!7.F4L37 1998
796.86-dc21
98-50294
eIP
'Introduction
with bouts between unarmored duelists but continue to
include the use of several different weapons: sword and
rapier used alone or in tandem with a· dagger, shield, or
even a cloak in the left hand; the use of the two-handed
sword, spear, halberd and quarter-staff; and methods of
unarmed combat. By the early seventeenth century the
rapier, a long, slender thrusting sword, began to dominate as the gentleman's weapon of choice, and most
books of the period become increasingly devoted to the
use of the rapier alone or with a left-hand dagger. During
as civilian fencing techniques
the course of the 」・ョエオイセ
became more specialized and refined, the rapier developed into a lighter, trimmed-down weapon known by
about 1700 as the smallsword. The smallsword, often
richly decorated, remained an integral part of a gentleman's wardrobe until the wearing of swords in civilian
settings went out of fashion at the end of the eighteenth
」・ョエオセ
at which time pistols were replacing swords as
the weapons most frequently used in personal duels.
During the early nineteenth century swordsmanship progressively diverged between military training and sporting practice, from which modern competitive fencing
developed.
Between 1500 and 1800 fencing was known as "the art
and science of defense." The books and weapons
included in The Academy of the Sword offer an overview of
ways in which fencing was taught and the arms with
which it was practiced during these three centuries.
The Academy of the Sword centers on an assemblage of
rare illustrated books devoted to the subject of fencing
and dueling, drawn (with one exception) from the library
of the Arms and Armor Department of The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. The title is taken from Girard Thibault's
Academie de l'Espee (Leiden, 1628), the most lavish fencing
book ever produced, which was kindly lent by the
Museum's Thomas J. Watson Library. Accompanying the
books and giving vivid impact to their illustrations are a
selection of swords, rapiers, parrying daggers, bucklers,
and other accoutrements, which follow the chronology
of, and changes in, fighting styles depicted in the books.
These weapons were frequently treated not only as
sidearms, but also as fashionable costume accessories.
The decoration of hilts, scabbards, and belts often exemplifies the prevailing artistic styles of a given period,
from Renaissance and Mannerism through Baroque and
Rococo to Neoclassical. Hilts were designed by wellknown engravers such as Hans Sebald Beham and Virgil
Solis, leading goldsmiths including Wenzel Jamnitzer
and Luigi Valadier, and major artists from Hans Holbein
and Giulio Romano to Jacques Louis David.
Today the term "fencing" calls to mind familiar
images of a competitive sport, but in the past, rather
than a sporting event, "fencing" referred to practical
methods of self-defense. Early books on fencing, prior to
about 1800, were concerned with the proper handling
of weapons, which was an integral part of the education
of European noblemen. Formalized training in the use of
arms was also widely practiced by sons of the middle
class-burghers, merchants, and craftsmen. This democratization of martial skills was due in part to the dissemination of illustrated fencing books, written by the
foremost Masters of Arms-highly regarded professionals who were skilled in the use of weapons.
The earliest book included here is a sixteenth-century
manuscript copy of a fifteenth-century treatise, which
deals principally with judicial single combat between
armored opponents equipped with a variety of weapons.
Most fencing books of the sixteenth century are concerned
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Valuable help regarding the history of fencing and
fencing books was generously given by J. Christoph
Amberger, Richard J. Gradkowski, and S. Matthew
Galas. Advice concerning translations was kindly
provided by Stefano Carboni, Helmut Nickel, and James
D. Lavin. Our gratitude is also extended to Joseph A.
Suarez, Esq., and The Armor and Arms Club of New
York, whose support made this publication possible.
3
Books
Hans Talhoffer
German, recorded 1435-82
Fechtbuch (Fencing Book)
Gift of Miss Marguerite Keasbey, 1926 26.236
This volume is a rare early-sixteenth-century copy of one
of the earliest surviving European fencing manuals, Hans
Talhoffer's influential Fechtbuch (Fencing Book), written in
1443. Talhoffer was following a tradition established by
Johannes Liechtenauer, an itinerant master swordsman of
the fourteenth century who recorded the secrets of his
fighting techniques in the form of cryptic verses. The
Talhoffer manuscript includes verses from Liechtenauer,
sections devoted to the procedures for fighting judicial
combats both with and without armor, and the use of the
weapons employed in such combats, including the highly
specialized Stechschilde (thrusting shields), maces, long
swords, spears, and daggers. There are also sections on:
knife fighting and wrestling, the latter based on the methods of Ott the Jew, a renowned wrestling master to the
archdukes of Austria.
4
Maximilian I, von Habsburg
i\usDian,1459-1519
Weisskunig (The White King)
Vienna, 1775
Weisskunig is an allegorical autobiography written by
Maximilian (who reigned as king of the Romans from 1486
and as Holy Roman Emperor from 1493) and his private
secretary Marx Treitzsaurwein (d. 1527) beginning about
1506. Illustrated with 251 woodcut prints, the book tells the
story of Maximilian's life and describes his many talents,
including the mastery of swordsmanship and other martial
skills. Hans Burgkmair (1473-1531) designed 117 of the
woodcuts, some of which are considered among his most
accomplished works. One of many elaborate projects initiated by Maximilian to perpetuate his memory, the book
was not published in its entirety until this edition of 1775.
5
SEC 0 N DO
i1
SECVITA EL SECO'NDO LIBRO ELo.. VALE TRATTAj
DE ABATTIMENTI DE ARME DA FILO VA
RIATE LVNO DA LALTRO.
([cap.; ',Che dinot:l Spada ePugnale.
V EST 0 S IE vnoabatrlmrnto moltoperfetto,pcr fure セ、エイッ」。
bte de S ada Pugnale Bo(ogllefe:Nota che tu che vorrai infegna
re he in rane de fare,a COl1ellate n5 fe po fure piu che in Ii feriri natu
ralmentc.cioe mandrirto, crouerfo,e £locata,ma piu tc dico,chel fe p fare mol
ti altri feriri,ma generalmcte quafi ogni h mo rira coll.Hora nota che ho fl:ra
corro de funtalia bona/& ogli melTe,quc1e cofe che a me hanno parfe piu セ・イ「
ue,& piu vole/per vno che haudTe a combattcte che nora per regola vera,
'A
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a
Achille Marozzo
Italian, born 1484
Opera nova de Achille Marozzo Bolognese, mastro generaIe
de l'arte de l'armi
(New Work by Achille Marozzo of Bologna, Master General
of the Art of Arms)
Marozzo's stated aim was to explain the proper use of all
weapons necessary to a man in defending his honor. He
includes the use of the sword alone and with a dagger held
in the left hand or with different types of small shields or
even with a cloak. (wrapped around the left arm); of two
swords (one in each hand); of the large two-handed
sword; and of various types of shafted weapons (spears,
pikes, halberds, etc.). One chapter is devoted to unarmed
defense against the dagger. Marozzo also discusses the rules
governing formal single combat between noblemen.
Modena, 1536
Marozzo was among the earliest in a long line of renowned
Bolognese swordsmen who published influential fencing
books. His Opera Nova was reprinted several times between
1536 and 1568 and is considered the first printed fencing
book to have received relatively wide distribution.
6
Achille Marozzo
Italian, born 1484
Arte dell'armi di Achille Marozzo Bolognese
(The Art of Arms, by Achille Marozzo of Bologna)
Venice, 1568
probably referring to Juan Manrique, chamberlain to
Elizabeth Valois (1545-1568), queen of Spain. Fontana goes
on to mention his illustrations for another fencing book,
Camillo Agrippa's Trattato di Scienza d'Arme, published
two weeks before Marozzo's Arte dell'Armi, which he had
also dedicated to Don Giovanni Manriche.
Published after Marozzo's death, the text, with some modifications to reflect changes in fighting styles, remains basically that of the Opera Nova of 1536. The original woodcuts
have been replaced with engravings by Giovanni Battista
Fontana (1524-1587), and Giulio Fontana (d. 1569). Giulio
Fontana added a new preface to the 1568 edition dedicated
to Don Giovanni Manriche, Camerieri di S. M. Cesarea,
Camillo Agrippa
Italian, active 1535-95
.
.:1
11
Trattato di scienza d'armeet u.n dialogo in detta materia
(Treatise on the Science of Arms and a Dialogue on the Same
Theme)
.
Caf.\,Il.
Venice, 1568
The first edition of the Trattato was published by
Agrippa in Rome in 1553 with a dedication to Cosimo
de Medici (1519-1574), duke of Florence. This is the
second edition, with new illustrations by Giulio
Nセョ。エ ッf
Both editions conclude with a philosophical dialogue between Agrippa and the humanist
writer Annibale Caro (1507-1566), famous for his vernacular translation of Virgil's Aeneid. Unlike.
Marozzo, Agrippa was not a professional in the science of arms. However, Agrippa's fighting techniques were innovative, based on practical
application, and in many ways represented an
improvement upon Marozzo's methods. Agrippa's
other published works concern engineering, mathematics, and philosophy.
7
RAGIONE
DI ADOPRAR
SlCVRAME
TE VARME
SI DA OFF£SA, COMe DA DlFESA,
Con lin Trallalo dell'inganno, & con un modo di elfercirarfi da fe lIelfo, per acquilbrc forza)
giudicio) & prelleua,
DIG I A COM 0
CO
Tn Vtntti" J
I'RIVrLF.GIO.
ilppr1fo GIordAno Zilrtti J
M
Giacomo eli Grassi
DIG R ASS I.
D
&' roTl1!"gn; .
LXX.
Di Grassi's techniques exemplified the widely emulated
Italian school. His book became the frrst surviving
English-language fencing book when it was translated and
published in London in 1594. The majority of di Grassi's
text is devoted to fencing with sword and dagger, buckler,
or cloak, in addition to use of the sword alone. He looks
forward to advanced rapier techniques of the seventeenth
century by stressing the superiority of a thrust over a cutting blow whenever possible. He was the frrst to categorize the sword blade as having four sections distinctly
suited for attack or defense, and to defrne the concept of
"lines" of defense-inside, outside, high, or low-as they
are still understood in modern fencing.
Italian, active second half of the r6th century
Ragione di adoprar sicuramente l'arme si da offesa, come da difesa,
con un trattato dell'inganno, &- con un modo di essercitarsi da se
stesso, per acquistareforza, giudicio, &- prestezza
(The Correct Method of Safely Using Arms, Both for Offense, as Well as
for Defense, with a Treatise on Deceit, and with a Way to Train on
One's Own, in Order to Obtain Strength, Judgment, and Dexterity)
Venice, r570
8
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brittt AゥHセエ
{1¢tn エイ」セg ・
\ iセNG
L 71
セMセ セ
"
Angelo Viggiani
ABOVE
Italian, active second half of the 16th century
Lo schermo d'Angelo Viggiani dal Montone da Bologna
(Fencing, by Angelo Viggiani dal Montone, from Bologna)
Joachim Meyer
German, active 16th-17th century
Grii.ndtliche Beschreibung derfreyen ritterlichen unnd adelichen Kunst
des Fechtens in allerley gebreuchlichen Wehren mit vii schOnen und
niitzlichen Figuren gezieret undfii.rgestellet
(A Thorough Description of the Free Knightly and Noble Art of
Fencing, in All the Typical Guards, Adorned and Arranged with
Many Beautiful and Usqitl Figures)
Venice, 1575
Viggiani,. who had been a soldier under the emperor
Charles V; wrote this book in 1560 after leaving imperial
service and returning to his homeland. It was published
posthumously some ftfteen years later by Viggiani's
brother Battista. Like Agrippa and di Grassi, Viggiani
emphasized the use of the thrust as more effective than
the cut, going further than his predecessors in deftning
positions for attacking with the point. He was among the
ftrst to favor a stance in which the right ヲッセ
is always foremost and to describe an attack that can be considered a
lunge in modern fencing terms.
Strasbourg, 1570
Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1957 57.IIS
Meyer was one of the most influential later proponents of
the German long sword, following the techniques first codifted two centuries earlier byJohannes Liechtenauer. Meyer's
manual appeared in four editions between 1570 and 1660. It is
divided into five sections, the ftrst and longest dealing with
the art of the long sword. The others include instruction in
the Dussack (a saberlike wooden practice weapon indigenous
to Germany), rapier techniques based on the Italian school,
dagger ftghting, and the use of various staff weapons.
9
Luis Pacheco de Narvaez
RIGHT
Spanish, active late 16th-early 17th century
Ridolfo Capo Ferro
Libro de las grandezas de la espada, en que se declaran
muchos secretos del que compuso el Comendador Geronimo
deCarranfa
(Book of the Greatness of the Sword, in Which Many of the Secrets
of the Methods Developed by Comendador Geronimo de Carranfa
Are Explained)
Italian (Cagli), born ca. 1558
Gran simulacro dell'arte e dell uso della scherma, di Ridolfo Capo Fero
da Caglie, maestro dell'eccelsa natione alemanna, nell' inclita citta
di Siena
(A Complete Representation of the Art and Practice of Fencing, by
Ridolfo Capo Ferro of Caglie, Teacher of the Sublime German Nation,
in the Famous City of Siena)
Madrid, 1600
Siena, 1610
Narvaez, along with his predecessor Geronimo de
Carran<;a, was one of the founders of an enduring and distinctive school of rapier fencing, which was practiced in
Spain and its dominions from the late sixteenth century
until the late eighteenth century: Notable features of the
Spanish style included a very upright stance and circular
footwork based on complex geometric principles.
Capo Ferro's precise and rationally organized book represents the apogee of the Italian rapier school. It largely
defined the form in which the school flourished across
Europe for much of the seventeenth century, and from
which smallsword techniques subsequently developed.
The text is attractively illustrated with engravings by
Raffaello Schiamirossi (ca. 1572-1622), and is divided into
thirteen chapters ranging from a general introduction to
clear explanations of timing, distance, posture, guards, and
attacks. Although Capo Ferro included the left-hand dagger, he emphasized the use of the rapier alone as the most
effective means of both offense and defense.
Salvator Fabris (Salvatore Fabrizzio?)
Italian (Padua), 1544-1617(?)
De lo schermo overo scienza d' arme di Salvator Fabris capo dell'
Ordine dei Sette Corl
(About Fencing, or Rather, the Science of Arms, by Salvator Fabris,
Head of the Order of the Seven Hearts)
Copenhagen, 1606
Published with the patronage of Christian n1, king of
Denmark, this book was very important in promoting the
Italian style of rapier fencing in northern Europe, and was
reprinted as late as 1713. Avoiding the philosophical interpolations otherwise common to the genre, Fabris wrote a
detailed fencing manual with text and illustrations devoted
solely to practical swordsmanship. His methodology
included many refinements, several of which remained in
use into the nineteenth century wherever cut-and-thrust
fencing was practiced.
10
Nicoletta Giganti
Italian, active Venice ca. 1600
Newe Fechtkunst, oder Schawplatz/darauff allerhand Arten zuversetzen und zuschlagen mit dem Rapier allein/und mit Rapier und
Dolchen zusamen/vortestellet
(The New Art of Fencing, or The Theater in Which Is Shown Every
Type of Parry and Blow with Rapier Alone and with Rapier and
Dagger Together)
Frankfurt, 1622
the first fencing master to clearly explain the advantages
of the lunge and to apply it to most of his attack strategies. His methods represent a transition in the Italian
school between use of the rapier with a companion
dagger and the preference for the rapier alone.
Giganti was the forerunner of Salvator Fabris and Ridolfo
Capo Ferro in bringing Italian rapier fencing to its highest
degree of refinement. Beginning in 1606 books by Giganti
were published in Italian, French, and German, including
bilingual editions like this German and French example,
translated and published by Jacob de Zeter. Giganti was
II
Girard Thibault
Flemish (Antwerp), died ca. 1629
Academie de l'espee de Girard Thibault, d'Anvers, ou se demonstrent
par reegles mathematiques sur Ie fondement d'un cercle mystmeux, la
theorie et pratique des vrais et iusqu'li present incognus secrets du
maniement des armes Ii pied et a cheval
(The Academy of the Sword by Girard Thibault, of Antwerp, wherein
Are Set Forth by Mathematical Rules, on the Basis of a Mysterious
Circle, the True and until Now Unknown Secrets of the Use of
Weapons on Foot and on Horseback)
Leiden, 1628
Generally acknowledged as the most lavish and artistically
accomplished fencing book ever produced, Thibault's
Academy of the Sword was supported by the patronage of
King Louis XIII of France and several other European
rulers. Its elaborate illustrations, including forty-six doublepage plates, are signed by sixteen Flemish engravers. The
book is devoted to the Spanish school of fence, as established earlier by Geronimo de Carran\=a and Luis Pacheco
de Narvaez. Thibault died shortly before its publication,
never having completed the projected second part, which
was to have dealt with equestrian combat.
12
---=--
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refun セエウョuサェ
.
•
tr batttt i'ttftr ュヲエセ
/ l'nl) セッャヲ
ョゥ」 ヲセ
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mft bcr Quarea セエHbu
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「ャセ イ」ョ ヲ
Sebastian Heussler
German (Nuremberg), active early to mid-17th century
Neu kunstlich Fechtbuch darinnen 500 Stuck im ainfachen Rapier, wie
auch ettliche im Rapier vnd Dolch, defl wetberiimbten Fecht: und
lehrmeisters Sig. Salvator Fabrida Padoa, so wol auch anderer
italianischen und franzosichen Fechter. ..
(New Artistic Fencing Book in Which There Are 500 Movements with
Rapier Alone, as well as Many with Rapier and Dagger; from the WellKnown Fencing Master and Instmctor Signor Salvator Fabrida of
Padua, as well as Other Italian and French Fencers...)
Nuremberg, 1615 and 1645
The influence of Italian fencing masters in Germany is
especially apparent in the works of the Nuremberg fencing
instructor Sebastian Heussler, who cites Salvator Fabris as
his inspiration for the two books bound together in this
volume, and Capo Ferro for other editions. The first book
is unusual in that the dates on the title page and of the
author's preface have been changed by hand from 1615 to
It is bound with a 1615 edition of another book by
Heussler, devoted solely to the use of rapier and dagger.
This is followed by twelve unnumbered plates showing
dagger fighting and the use of rapier and cloak.
1645.
13
ABOVE
Jeann Daniel L'Ange
Johann Georg Paschen
French, active Germany, mid- to late mh century
Drntliche und grundliche Erkliirung der adelichen und ritterlichen
freyen Fecht-Kunst. Leetionen auff den StojJ und deren Gebrauchs
eigentlicher Nachricht. Auff die rechte italianische Art und Manir. ..
(Clear and Thorough Explanation of the Noble and Knightly Free Art
of Fencing. Selections Concerning the Thrust and an Accurate
Description of Its Usage. In the CorrectItalian Style and Manner. ..)
Heidelberg, 1664
German (Saxony), active mid- to late 17th century
Kurtze jedoch deutliche Beschreibung handlend yom Fechten auf Stosz
undHieb
(Brief but Clear Description Concerning Fencing With the Thrust and
the Cut)
Halle, 1664
Paschen published at least five fencing books between 1657
and 1683. This edition is dedicated to Johann Georg II,
prince-elector of Saxony (r. 1656-81), whom Paschen served
as Pagen Hoffmeistern (master of the court pages) in Magedeburg. The first part of the book demonstrates a modified
form of rapier technique, shOWing the influence of protosmallsword fencing as it was then being developed in France.
The second part is devoted to the more martially oriented
method of fighting with the edge of the sword, rather
than the point.
L'Ange was the fencing master at Heidelberg University
and at the court of Karl I (1617-1680), prince-elector of the
Palatinate of the Rhine and duke of Bavaria. His book is
an example of the late Italian school of rapier fencing,
as it was practiced in Germany well into the eighteenth
century. The frontispiece displays a portrait of L'Ange
beneath a poetic couplet, which probably would have
expressed the sentiments of many fencing masters: "In
God lies my salvation / But my sword is my protection."
14
Francisco Antonio de Ettenhard
Wernesson de Liancour
Spanish, active mid- to late 17th century
French, died r732
Compendio de los fundamentos de la verdadera destreza y filosofia de
las armas, dedicado a la catolica, sacra, y real magestad del rey nuestro
senor D. Carlos Segundo, monarca de Espana, y de las Indias
(Compendium of the Fundamentals of the True Skills and Philosophy
of Arms, Dedicated to the Catholic, Sacred, and Royal Majesty of the
King Our Lord Don Carlos the Second, Monarch of Spain, and the Indies)
Le maistre d'armes, ou L'exercice de l'espee seulle dans sa peifection
(The Master of Arms, or The Exercise of the Single Sword in
Its Peifection)
llonsterdann, r692
This edition of de Liancour's Le maistre d'armes is a
slightly simplified reduction of the original version, published in 1686. These books were among the most influential in establishing and spreading the new French style of
fencing in Europe and England well into the eighteenth
century. Using a smaller, lighter thrusting sword than the
rapier common in Italy and Germany; French smallsword
techniques as refined by de Liancour emphasized speed,
finesse, and economy of motion. De Liancour is also credited with developing the lunge into its fully modern form.
Madrid, r675
Ettenhard's work shows the continuity of the Spanish
school, which remained faithful to the complex geometric
principles laid down by Luis Pacheco de Narvaez and
embellished by Gerard Thibault.
Jean Baptiste Le Perche du Coudray
French, active mid- to late r7th century
L'exercise des armes, ou Maniment duJleuret, pour ayder la memoire
Bondi di Mazo
de ceux qui sont amateurs de cet art
(The Exercise of Arms, or Handling the Foil, as an Aid to the Memory
of Those Who Are Amateurs of This Art)
Italian (Venice), active late 17th century
La spada maestra di me, Bondi di Mazo da Venetia: Libro dove si trattano i vantaggi della nobilissima proftssione della scherma si del caminare, girare, & ritirarsi, come del ferire sicuramente, e difendersi
(The Masterly Sword, by Me Bondi di Mazo from Venice: A Book
wherein Are Treated the Benefits of the Most Noble Profession of
Fencing, in the Advancing, Turning, and Retreating, as well as How
to Strike with Certainty, and Defend Oneself)
Paris, n.d. (1750)
This is a slightly amended reprint of a book originally published in 1676, when the French style of smallsword fencing was beginning to flourish. It is one of the first books to
focus on the use of the foil, as opposed to the sword, as a
graceful pastime and a refined form of gentlemanly exercise. Le Perche was a member of the prestigious Academie
d'Armes, the guildlike association of fencing masters
founded with royal patronage in Paris about 1570. He is
credited with formulating the use of the riposte, a technique fundamental to modern fencing.
Venice, r696
Henry Blackwell
English, active late 17th to mid-r8th century
The English Fencing-Master: or, The Compleat Tuterour of the Small
Sword. Wherein the Truest Method, after a Mathematical Rule, Is
Plainly Laid Down. Shewing also How Necessary It Is for All Gentlemen
to Learn This Noble Art. In a Dialogue between Master and Scholar
London, r702
This appears to be the earliest edition of Blackwell's book,
which was republished in two editions in 1702 and 1705
with additional illustrations, and in a revised edition in 1730
retitled The Gentleman's Tutorfor the Small-Sword. As a professional Master of Defense Blackwell approached
smallsword fencing as a means of lethal combat and not
merely as a gentlemanly exercise. His later book is largely
based on the practices of Italian rapier masters of the early
seventeenth century; perhaps in response to what he saw
as the increased rarefaction of smallsword fencing.
IS
-.....::::::==================================='=
Francisco Lorenz de Rada
Rada's three volumes represent the most detailed treatment of swordmanship and the Spanish school of fence
published in Spanish. Complex mathematical principles
defIning distance, footwork, lines of attack, and positions
of defense are laid out in a series of ornate diagrams.
Despite the apparent artifIciality of this system, the fighting abilities of Spanish swordsmen were highly regarded
throughout Europe. As late as the end of the eighteenth
century the works of the leading smallsword masters such
as Guillaume Danet and Domenico Angelo included special techniques for duels with Spaniards.
Spanish, active late 17th to early 18th century
Nobleza de la espada, cvyo esplendor se expressa en tres libros, segvn
ciencia, arte, y esperiencia. Libro primero, de la ciencia del instrvmento
armigero espada. Libro segundo, arte del instrumento armigero espada.
Libro tercero, experiencia del'instmmento armigero
(The Nobility of the Sword, Whose Splendor Is Expressed in Three
Books, According to Science, Art, and Experience. Book One, concerning the Science of the Warlike Sword. Book Two, the Art of the Warlike Sword. Book Three, the Experience of the Warlike Sword)
Madrid, 1705
r6
Johann Andreas Schmidt
Sir William Hope
German, Zeblitz (Saxony), active 18th century
Leib-beschirmende und feinden trotz-bietende Fecht-kunst; oder: Leicht
und getreue Answeisung auf Stofl und Hieb zierlich und sicher zu
Scottish, 1660-1729
Hope's New Method of Fencing: or, The True and Solid Art of Fighting
with the Back-Sword, Sheering-Sword, Small-Sword, and Sword and
ftchten; nebst einem curieusen Unterricht vom Voltigiren und Ringen.
(The Lifesaving and Foe-DefYing Art of Fencing; or: Easy and Trustworthy Instructions on How to Fence with Thrust-and-Cut Gracifully
and Confidently; together with Some Highly Interesting Lessons
Concerning the Vaulting Horse and Wrestling)
Pistol; Freed from the Errors of the Schools
Edinburgh, 1714
Lァイ・「ュ イオセ
Hope was recognized by his contemporaries as the greatest British authority on swordsmanship. He published
eight influential books on the subject, in various editions,
between 1687 and 1729. In this book he significantly modified his previous views to advocate a position known as the
hanging guard, proclaiming it to be the optimal offensive
and defensive guard for any type of sword. In 1692 Sir
William founded the Society of Swordsmen in Scotland,
in hopes of bringing to British fencing masters the prestige and credibility enjoyed by their counterparts on the
Continent. Despite his efforts, however, the Society was
never granted a royal charter, remaining merely an association of interested amateurs.
1713
This book is the earliest of several works by Schmidt that
were published between 1713 and 1816, the later editions
appearing posthumously. Schmidt held the prestigious
post of Fencing and Drill Master to the city of Nuremberg.
He taught practical methods of fencing with the point,
with the edge, and combining the two. Schmidt's chapter
on the vaulting horse, once a necessary cavalry exercise, is
a precursor to the pommel horse of modern gymnastics.
His later books cover the use of the saber, an essential cavalry weapon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
17
i3
ッ。キセ、・LN GHI」LN
parade md
tnfjl
j
:2
IttX.
German universities were major centers of fencing
instruction from as early as the seventeenth century.
Anthon Friedrich Kahn, a celebrated fencing master at
G6ttingen University, was himself a pupil of Heinrich
Wilhelm Kreussler at Jena University. Kreussler was a
member of one of Germany's most renowned family
dynasties of fencing masters, which flourished for nearly
two hundred years. Kahn, like Kreussler, taught the use of
cut-and-thrust fencing, as well as a method intended for
dueling that emphasized the use of the point, but was distinct from the Italian and French schools of late rapier and
smallsword techniques.
Anthon Friedrich Kahn
German, active early to mid-18th century
Anfangsgriinde der Fechtkunst nebst einer Vorrede von dem Nutzen der
Fechtkunst un den Vorzugen dieser Anweisung
(Elements of the Art of Fencing together with a Prologue Regarding the
Benefits of the Art of Fencing and the Merits of These Instructions)
Gottingen, 1739
18
...!"/ セ It IN",,,t ,t1"'0/11 .lIIr t
nTッGNセ
.....,.J,'Y ••
OfUJI
,t..,n"'Hlk.
l'IUot:JJ.
"'1""l:.I't1w_JJ" "..,.
ABOVE
Domenico Angelo (Domenico Angelo
Malevolti Tremamondo)
French, active mid- to late r8th century
Italiaa(LivornO),1717-1802
L' art des armes, ou La maniere la plus certain de se servir utilement de
L' ecole des armes, avec l'explication gbtbale des principales attitudes
l'epee, soit pour attaquer, soit pour se defendre, simplifiee &' demonstree
dans toute son etendue &' sa peifection, suivant les meilleurs principes
de theorie &' de pratique adoptes actuellement en France
(The Art of Arms, or The Most Reliable Method to Profitably Use the
Sword, Eitherfor Attack or Defense, Simplified and Demonstrated in
All Its Peifection According to the Best Principles of Theory and
Practice Currently Adopted in France)
Guillaume Danet
et positions concernant L'escrime
(The School of Fencing, with a General Explanation of the Principal
Attitudes and Positions Peculiar to the Art)
London, 1765
Angelo is the most well known of all historic fencing masters due to the fame he achieved among his contemporaries, the existence of a detailed biography written by his
son, and to the critical and artistic success of his book, The
School of Fencing. The book was so well regarded that it
was selected by Diderot as the best of its genre and used to
illustrate the entry on fencing (escrime) in his famous
Encyclopedie. It remains the defInitive exposition of
smallsword techniques in their most fully developed form.
Paris, 1766
Partly in response to the success of Angelo's School of
Fencing, Danet wrote his L'art des armes to assert France's
claim to supremacy in use of the smallsword. It was also
his attempt to codifY and simplifY the terminology and
pedagogy of the French school of fence. Although he was
the head of the prestigious Academie des Armes, Daner's
suggested reforms were openly attacked by his fellow academicians, forcing him to defend his theories in a second
volume, published in 1767.
19
French, active mid- to late 18th century
Mr. Angelo (Domenico Angelo Malevolti
Tremamondo)
L'art des armes, ou La maniere la plus certain de se servir utilement de
Italian (Livorno), 1717-1802
l'epee, soit pour attaquer, soit pour se defendre, simplifUe &' demonstree dans toute son etendue &' sa peifection, suivant les meilleurs
principes de theorie &' de pratique adoptes actuellement en France ...
Tome second, contenant la refutation des critiques, &' la suite du
meme traite
(The Art of Arms, or The Most Reliable Method to Profitably Use the
Sword, Eitherfor Attack or Defense, Simplified and Demonstrated in
All Its Pe1ftction According to the Best Principles of Theory and
Practice Currently Adopted in France ... Volume Two, Containing the
Rebuttal of the Criticisms, and the Continuation of the Same Treatise)
The School of Fencing, with a General Explanation of the Principal
Attitudes and Positions Peculiar to the Art
Guillaume Danet
London, 1787
This is a later edition of the original School of Fencing in a
smaller, pocket-sized format.
Paris, 1767
20
swords) Rapiers) Parrying Daggers) and Related Objects
Sword
Western European (possibly Italian), ca. 1450
Steel, copper, wood, and leather; weight: 2lbs. 8 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.1096
Known as arming swords, weapons of this type were worn
by noblemen on a daily basis during times of peace and
were also used by armored knights in battle. The blade
bears the "running-wolf" mark of Passau, Germany,
which was famous for the quality of its sword blades.
Dagger (Ballock Knife)
Possibly French or German, late 15th century
Steel and wood; weight: 8 oz.
Gift ofJean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.
Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,
1926 26.145.10
The ballock knife, also referred to as a kidney dagger, was
widely used in the later Middle Ages, in both civilian and
military contexts. In Talhoffer's Fechtbuch it is shown in use
by armored combatants to deliver a coup de grace, and in
the section devoted to unarmored knife fighting.
ABOVE
Helm for Combat on Foot
English or Flemish, late 15th century
Steel; weight: 12 lbs. 12 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.591
In the nineteenth century this helmet was recorded as
coming from St. Mary's Church, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, where it presumably once hung above the tomb of
its original owner.
21
Hand and a Half Sword
German, ca. 1500
Steel and leather; weight: 4 lbs.
Purchase, The Sulzberger Foundation, Inc., and Helmut Nickel
Gifts, Rogers Fund, Bequest of Stephen V Grancsay, by
exchange, and Funds from various donors, 1988 1988.26
The blade is incised with the mark of the Ottoman arsenal
in Istanbul, indicating that this sword was captured as war
booty from a European knight. It is one of the few swords
to survive from the early sixteenth century with its original hilt and blade intact.
detail
22
This early sword is one of the few to retain fragments of
its original grip bindings, here consisting of red and green
silk. The stiff, acutely pointed blade is designed to pierce
the gaps between the plates of an opponent's armor.
Sword
Italian or Spanish, ca.
IS00
Steel, gilt bronze, wood, and textile;
weight: 21bs. IS oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.2S.n6S
23
Dagger
Dueling Gauntlet (Manopala da Presa)
German or Italian, ca. 15°0-1525
Steel, silver, wood, and fish skin; weight: 1 lb.
Italian, ca. 1550-75
Steel and leather; weight: I lbs. 9 oz.
Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.
Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 I4.25.9II
1926
In the sixteenth century it was often considered better to
parry (blocking an opponent's blade) with the left hand
rather than tie up one's own rapier in deflecting a blow: A
gauntlet, usually of leather but sometimes of steel, was
worn to protect the left hand. The palm of this gauntlet is
lined with mail, which would allow the duelist to grasp his
opponent's blade without being cut.
26.145.69
This sturdy dagger is the type seen in early Italian fencing
books like those of Achille Marozzo. It predates the
improvements that characterize later parrying daggers,
such as long, often curved quillons and a side ring to protect the back of the hand.
Sword
North Italian or French, ca. 1540-60
Steel and wood; weight: 2 lbs. 6 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.II55
BELOW
Parrying Dagger (Pugnale Bolognese)
Designed to be used in tandem with a rapier, this dagger is
fitted with a side ring, recurved quillons, and a depression
at the base of one side of the blade to accommodate the
thumb and facilitate a firmer grip. The waves in the blade
may be intended to act like "speed bumps" in breaking the
impact of a blow from an opponent's blade.
Italian, ca. 1550-75
Partly gilt steel, brass, and wood; weight: 15 oz.
Gift ofJean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.
Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,
1926
26.145.94
24
RIGHT
Parrying Gauntlet (Guanto cia Presa)
Italian, late I6th-early I7th century
Leather and iron; weight: 8 oz.
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various
donors, I929 29.I58.2I8
Beneath its leather exterior this parrying gauntlet is lined
with a protective layer of mail.
Buckler (Rotellino cia Pugno alla Milanese)
Italian, ca. I570
Steel and copper; weight: 2lbs. 6 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, I9I3 I4.25.742
Bucklers are small shields that were carried on the belt or
scabbard. They were a popular form of defense from at
least as early as the thirteenth century until the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century.
LEFT
Buckler (Targhetta cia Pugno)
Italian, ca. I550-75
Blued and gilt steel; weight: 2lbs. I5 oz.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald S. Lauder, I983
I983.I36
The hook in the center of the buckler
was designed so it could hang from the
sword belt, ready for use. The raised concentric bars were intended to trap, and
possibly break, an opponent's blade.
25
RIGHT
Rapier
European, ca. 1565-75
Steel and wood; weight: 3 lbs.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
2
oz.
14.25.II90
This is a classic form of late-sixteenth-century
rapier, sometimes referred to as a "swept hilt"
because of the spiraling design of the bars that
surround the grip.
LEFT
Parrying Dagger (Pugnale Bolognese)
Italian, ca. 1570
Steel, wood, and leather; weight: I lb. 5 oz.
Bequest ofJean Jacques Reuben, in memory of his mother, Julia C. Coster,
of New York, 1933 34.57.21
This large parrying dagger is well suited for use against the cutting
blows of a sword and the thrusts of a rapier. Its large side ring and
outward curved quillons provide the back of the hand and the wrist
with ample protection from an opponent's attacks.
26
Rapier
Italian, ca. 1570-75
Steel, traces of gilding, iron, and wood; weight: 2lbs. 8 oz.
Rogers Fund, 1904 04.3.287
Rapier
Hilt: probably German; blade: Italian, 1575-1600
Steel, "W'ood, and leather; weight: 3 lbs. 6 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.1035
The blade of this rapier is a prime example of the most
developed form of the sixteenth-century cut-and-thrust
rapier. It is extremely long (49% in.) and acutely pointed
to maximize its effectiveness in thrusting, and it also has a
sharp double edge, well suited for cutting.
RIGHT
Pair of Practice Swords
German, ca. 1575-1625
Steel, wood, leather, and brass;
weight: 2lbs. 14 oz., 2lbs. 13 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.IIIO and .IIII
Purposely made with dull edges and blunt tips, these practice swords are descendants of knightly war swords, which
were made to be wielded with either one hand or two.
Known simply as the long sword, this type was a specialty
of the German school, which continued to practice its use
long after it had been abandoned elsewhere.
27
28
OPPOSITE
BELOW
Rapier and Parrying Dagger
Transitional Rapier
German, ca. 1580; rapier blade, Spanish (Toledo)
Partly gilt steel, and wood;
weight: 3lbs. 4 oz. (rapier), II oz. (dagger)
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1929 29.157.13, .14
Hilt: possibly French or Spanish; blade: Spanish (Toledo), ca. 1625-50
Steel and wood; weight: I lb. 8 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.1084
The dishlike guard, short quillons and light blade are all
characteristic of the early stages of the development from
rapier to smallsword.
Rapiers and parrying daggers were frequently made as sets
and decorated to match. The blunt tip and dulled edges of
this rapier blade indicate that it was originally made for a
practice weapon. It is signed by Juan Martinez of Toledo, a
royal bladesmith to King Philip II of Spain.
Rapier Carrier and Belt
German (probably Saxony), ca. 1600
Leather, silk, velvet, and metallic thread; engraved and gilt steel
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various
donors, 1929 29.158. 729
From the mid-sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth century
the rapier was usually worn at the left side, its sheath
thrust through a sling-like carrier suspended from a waist
belt. A diagonal strap reached from the carrier across the
front of the belt to hold the rapier at a convenient angle.
Some sword belts were embroidered with designs that
matched those of the wearer's clothing and perhaps even
the decoration of his rapier hilt. This example, richly
embroidered in stumpwork (raised designs) with silver and
gold-wrapped threads, is from the armory of the dukes of
Saxony; in Dresden.
Parrying Dagger and Sheath
Attributed to Daniel Sadeler
German, active Munich, 1610-32
Steel, gilt steel, leather, and wood;
weight: 14 oz.
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913 14.25.1314
Daniel Sadeler was a renowned specialist in the chiseled
and gilt decoration of iron and steel. He worked at the
court of the dukes of Bavaria, succeeding his equally
famous elder brother Emanuel in r6ro. Working in Munich
from the r590S to the r630s the Sadelers produced some of
the most fmely decorated firearms and edged weapons
ever created.
29
Rapier
Hilt: probably English; blade: German (Solingen), ca. I630-40
Steel and wood; weight: 2lbs.
Rogers Fund, I904
04.3.I
30
The skillfully chiseled iron hilt is decorated with a series of
grotesque faces that look the same whether seen right side
up or upside down. The simplified construction of the
hilt-with a knuckle guard, single side ring, and only one
quillon-reflects the need for lighter, smaller rapiers,
which came into fashion in the mid-seventeenth century.
Rapier
Hilt: probably Dutch, ca. 1650; blade: German (Munich)
Iron and steel; grip of wood and copper (modern);
weight: I lb. 10 oz.
Purchase, Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, by exchange, 1995 1995.51
31
Cup-Hilted Rapier
Scarf Sword
Italian (Brescia), ca. 1650-60
Possibly French or Dutch, ca. 1650-75
Steel and wood; weight: 2lbs. 2 oz.
Steel, gold, and wood; weight: I lb. 4 oz.
The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, Presented by his
Rogers Fund, 1904 04.3.2
daughter Giulia, 1932 32.75.221
The cup hilt was developed in Italy or Spain about 1625 and
was the predominant form of rapier used in Spain and in
Spanish territories until the late eighteenth century.
The scarf sword, a decorative weapon falling between the
rapier and the smallsword, derives its name from the fashion of wearing it thrust through a scarf or sash, rather
than hung from the more usual sword belt.
Parrying Dagger
Italian, ca. 1650
Smallsword
Steel and wood; weight: I lb. 8 oz.
Rogers Fund, 1904
Dutch (1), ca. 1660
04.3.17
Steel and wood; weight: I lb. 3 oz.
This type of dagger, sometimes referred to as a main
gauche, was used in conjunction with a cup-hilted rapier.
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various
donors, 1929
29.158.713
The hilt is chiseled in high relief with crowded ranks of
fighting horsemen. This weapon is part of a large group of
similarly decorated smallswords of unknown origin that
were made possibly in Holland or France.
Carrier for a Cup-Hilted Rapier
North Italian, or Spanish, ca. 1650
Engraved steel
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
14.25.1242
Dueling Rapier
This type of carrier was designed specifically for a cup-hilted
rapier. It was clipped to the top of the rapier scabbard by a
split prong. A semicircular bar above the prong adjusts to
hold the rapier at a set angle. There is also an adjustable
swivel beneath the buckle, which was passed through a
waist belt.
Italian (Brescia), 1680-1700
Steel and wood; weight: I lb. 12 oz.
Rogers Fund, 1904
04.3.41
The date and the unusual length of the blade (49% in.),
which is designed only for thrusting, suggest that this
rapier was intended specifically for use in duels or in exhibition bouts.
32
BELOW
Bag for a Smallsword Hilt
French (Paris), ca. 1725-50
Smallsword
Leather and ink
English (London), hallmarked for 1747-48
Silver, steel, and wood; weight: 15 oz.
Rogers Fund, 1995 1995.52
Gift of Eric Vaule in memory of his mother, Rae D. Vaule, 1991
A fmely made smallsword was sometimes supplied with a
fItted storage bag to protect the hilt. This bag is printed
with the trade card of the Parisian fourbisseur (cutler)
Guillaume Pages (recorded 1709-57). It includes his shop
sign, Au Dauphin Royal (At the Royal Dolphin), and the
advertisement that he "makes and sells all kinds of beautiful swords in the most current styles."
I99I.II5
The smallsword could be both a deadly weapon and a stylish costume accessory for a fashionable gentleman. The
silver hilt of this smallsword is decorated with an imaginative array of Rococo masks and shells. It is a fIne example
of the application of contemporary decorative styles to
the design of sword hilts.
BELOW
Smallsword
Marked GS (Possibly George Shaw)
English (London), hallmarked for 1689-90; blade dated 1674
Steel and silver; weight: I lb. 5 oz.
Gift ofJeanJacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.
Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,
1926
26.145·346
This hilt displays, in an early form, the basic features that
continued to characterize English and American
smallswords throughout the eighteenth century.
33
Smallsword
MarkedLR.
English (London), hallmarked for 1770-71
Silver, partly gilt, and steel; weight: 14 oz.
Rogers Ftmd, by exchange, 1995 1995.90
34
LEFT
Smallsword with Scabbard
Master GG (active Paris, ca. 1744)
French (Paris), hallmarked for 1773-74
Gold, steel, wood, and fish skin;
weight: I lb. 13 oz.
Purchase, Gift of William H. Riggs, by exchange and Annie
Laurie Aitken Trust Gift, 1998 1998.35ab
This is one of the fInest Neoclassical French smallswords
of the eighteenth century. The hilt is cast entirely of yellow and green gold and ranks with the highest quality
Parisian goldsmiths' work of the period. It is modeled with
figures of the classical deities Mars, Minerva, Jupiter, and
Hercules, and the personifications of Justice and
Prudence. This smallsword represents the fmal and most
refmed stage in the development of civilian swords,
shortly before they ceased to be worn in western Europe.
Smallsword with Scabbard
French, ca. 178Q-90
Partly gilt steel, silver, wood, and leather;
weight: I lb. 10 oz.
Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C.
Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City,
1926 26.145.290ab
The steel hilt is chiseled in low relief with military figures
in contemporary and antique costume set against a stippled and gilt background. This decorative theme is found
on sword hilts from the seventeenth through the end of
the eighteenth century.
35
Smallsword
English, ca. 1790-1800
Steel; weight: 14 oz.
Rogers Fund, 1916 16.164
Faceted cut-steel hilts were fashionable in England during
the last quarter of the eighteenth century and are still
worn on ceremonial occasions at court in Great Britain.
This fmely made hilt exemplifies the style at its most complex and refmed.