Cup-hilted Rapier

mid-17th century

On View

Ancient Greek and Roman, Level 2, South Wing

Cup-hilted Rapier: 1 of Collection Gallery

Cup-hilted Rapier: 2 of Collection Gallery

Cup-hilted Rapier: 3 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

This cup-hilted rapier balances a slim blade suitable for nimble fencing with a cup-shaped guard elegantly pierced to create botanical motifs, enveloping the wielder’s hand in a protective steel dome of vines and flowers.

The blade is inscribed, In Solingin, referring to Solingen, a city in present-day Germany celebrated in the seventeenth century for the skill of its blade-makers. However, swordsmiths across Europe often emulated competitors’ inscriptions to capitalize on their prestige, a practice that echoes today’s designer knockoffs. This inscription’s spelling suggests that this blade may have been forged in Spain or Italy before it was assembled with the hilt, likely in Naples.

Title Cup-hilted Rapier

Artwork Date mid-17th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Italian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Steel

Dimensions Overall: 46 × 13 1/2 × 6 1/4 inches (116.8 × 34.3 × 15.9 cm) Overall (blade): 39 inches (99.1 cm)

Classification Arms and Armor

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Gift of William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 53.212

Markings

Marks Marks, on blade "XX IHN SOLINGEN XXX"

Provenance

Baron Frédéric Spitzer (Paris, France);
June 10-14, 1895, sold by (Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, France) lot 250;
by June 30, 1939, William Randolph Hearst;
by 1951, William Randolph Hearst Foundation;
1953-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Catalogue des Armes et Armures Faisant Partie de la Collection Spitzer. Sales cat., Galerie Georges Petit. Paris, June 10-15, 1895, p. 29, no. 250.

Laking, Guy Francis, Charles A. de Cosson, and Francis Henry Cripps-Day. A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries, Vol. IV. London, 1921, p. 92.

Robinson, F.W. "A Gift of Arms and Armor from the Collection of William Randolph Hearst." Bulletin of the DIA 33, no. 1 (1953-1954): pp. 1-5.

The Art of the Armorer. Exh. cat., Flint Institute of Arts. Flint, 1967, cat. no. 45 (ill.).

Cordera, Paola. La Fabbrica del Rinascimento: Frédéric Spitzer mercante d’arte e collzionista nell'Europa delle nuove Nazioni. Bologna, 2014, p. 386.

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