Dating to circa 1640-50, the period of the English Civil War, this fine dish hilt rapier has a 36 1/2 inch slender tapering Spanish double edged blade of flattened hexagonal section with short fuller on each side respectively stamped with the bladesmith’s name “ESTADRO” and “DEL REI”. For many years Spanish blades were regarded as the finest available, and it is not unusual to encounter them mounted by cutlers in other countries, especially England where domestic blade production was not generally of the finesse or quality of Continental European bladesmiths. Elaborate guard comprising quatrefoil outer ring guard each with swelled twisted and beaded center section supporting the finely pierced dish guard, quillon block, quillons, knuckle guard and ovoidal pommel each with swelled twisted beaded details en suite with the outer ring guard. The dish guard is shaped and pierced to resemble narrow petals stemming from a central low relief engraved laurel wreath. The grip is wire bound with Turk’s heads. Provenance: Christie’s, London, 20 November 1991, Lot 28, with previous owners noted as the Earl of Abingdon, Gordon Watson and A.R. Dufty, a former Master of the Armouries, HM Tower of London. Exhibited: The Art of The Armourer, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, April – May 1963, no. 112.

Fine. The blade is cleaned bright with dark corrosion marking and pitting throughout. There is a replacement leather washer between the blade and the guard indicating that the hilt has become loose and taken apart and tightened. The grip is also probably a later replacement. As with the blade, the hilt has been cleaned bright with some evidence of pitting and areas of darker discoloration throughout. A striking looking rapier with fabulously decorative hilt dating from a very turbulent period of English history.