Rapier

Pietro Caino

late 16th century · Steel, wood, iron · Arms and Armor

This rapier is typical of the weapons that Valentin de Boulogne, the seventeenth-century painter, would have seen around him as a youth in France and during his maturity in Rome. Since rapiers were worn regularly by nobles, gentlemen, and professional soldiers as part of their daily dress and not only in battle, the swirling bars that make up the guard of a rapier hilt are designed to protect a gloved or bare hand.

Artist

Pietro Caino

Date

late 16th century

Medium

Steel, wood, iron

Culture

hilt, probably German; blade, Italian, Milan

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913