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THB17th C. Italian Steel Swept Hilt Rapier, Andrea Ferrara
Lot 120
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $4,500
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| $20,000 | $2,500 |
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Nov 5, 2020
Set Reminder
2020-11-05 10:00:00
2020-11-05 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient & Ethnographic From Around the World
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-from-around-the-world-5916
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! All categories, all price ranges... all legally acquired and guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! All categories, all price ranges... all legally acquired and guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (351)
- Lot Description
Western/Southern Europe, Italy, ca. mid-17th century CE. A gorgeous rapier forged from carbon steel with an impressed signature within each side of the lengthy fuller reading the name of the swordsmith, "Andrea Ferrara." The double-edged blade exhibits a narrow profile that tapers gradually to a point made specifically for precision thrusts and broad, sweeping attacks to keep one's opponent from getting too close. The openwork design of the swept hilt features an ovoid finger loop along the verso, a pair of faceted quillons, and a finger guard that curls up and terminates in a C-shaped loop. Braided steel wires wrap tightly around the handle and are secured by a barrel-shaped pommel with several vertically incised striations. Size: 47.625" L x 9" W (121 cm x 22.9 cm)
Blade master smith Andrea Ferrara was born in Fonzaso, Italy in the province of Belluno-Dolomiti and was an active and esteemed producer of fine weaponry. Though his manufacturing methods remain a mystery, scholars and antique weapon historians suspect that he was proficient in the method of interlamination, a process of welding the blade in alternate layers of iron and steel. The blades were well-reputed for their extreme flexibility and incredible structural integrity that was rarely prone to breaking, even under immense force. The ruins of Andrea Ferrara's workshop are still in Belluno-Dolomiti province in a place called Busighel, near the river Ardo.
Cf. Withers, Harvey J.S. "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Swords and Sabres." Lorenz Books, London, 2010, p. 118, bottom example and p. 119, bottom example
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired on November 9, 2019; ex-Michael D. Long collection, England
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#159194Very slight bending to blade profile, with softening and light encrustations within impressed lettering of signature, and minor abrasions to pommel, quillons, and blade, otherwise intact and excellent. Fabulous patina throughout. Signature is still somewhat legible.Condition
- Shipping Info
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