***THIS ITEM HAS BEEN RESERVED***
 
I offer for sale a very good 19th century copy of a South European Rapier, in a 'German' dish-guard style of around circa.1630. No doubt this wonderful sword was displayed on the wall of a large Victorian house as part of an Arms and Armour collection.
 
The flat diamond section, double fuller blade is typical rapier measuring an impressive 91cm, or just under 3 feet in length. The blade has an elongated double fullered forte and has been heat oil brown darkened along with the rest of the sword when it was made.
 
The hilt is of classical 'swept' design and consists of two, asymmetrical, Oval upturned and pierced dish guards decorated with Fleur de lis. The re-curved and flattened guard bars sweep forward and backward and end in bulbous finials. They are decorated on one side with scroll-work and punched dot patterns (as are the arms and knuckle-guard), the Quillon Block bears a stylized cross design.
 
The 'arms' of the sword curve out from the quillon block and screw to the back of the dish-guards. The short stylized knuckle-guard emerges from beneath the counter-guard looping forwards.
 
The grip appears to be made in one piece, to give the appearance of a wooden grip bound in wires to give a ribbed chevron pattern. The pommel is of flattened ovoid shape and is decorated in Fleur de lis.
 
There is a small amount of movement in the hilt, which could be easily fixed be inserting a couple of metal shims either side of the quillon block. Altogether a very nice wall piece.