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Splendid example of a Spanish sword with sideburns, belonging to the second half of the 15th century, at the beginning of the Renaissance.
The appearance of the sideburns, it seems, originates in Spain, since a cross sword with a single sidearm is seen in the panel of the “Visit of Alfonso III to San Froilán”, a panel from the altarpiece of the cathedral of León painted by Nicolás Francés before 1435.
In the Royal Armory there are several examples similar to this one and one of them belonged to King Ferdinand the Catholic and another to the Great Captain.
- GARNISHING: made of iron and profusely decorated with ataurique work on a chiseled gold coffin. Beautifully crafted disc knob with its vertical diameter marked, giving the sensation of being divided into two parts. Smooth wooden handle, without any type of coating, although at the time it may have had metal wiring or been lined with cloth or leather. The fallen beds expand from the peak-shaped central escutcheon to the tip. It ends with two pins ending in balls that emerge from the front of the recazo.
- BLADE: straight with central channel almost to the tip. All of it with two edges and, in the last third, with three tables.
- INSCRIPTION: CATHALDO-ME-FECIT
Sword of Sideburns. ANTONIUS ME FECIT (15th century)
INSTITUTO VALENCIA DE DON JUAN
To compare current designs related to this historical journey, you can explore loop rapier swords. Consult each sheet for the materials, measurements and indicated use; These models do not necessarily reproduce the historical piece described.
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Author: Vicente Toledo Momparler (espadologist)
