28 ORNAMENT 36.1.2012 T O O F

D OOR D R I IE E Kunstsammlungen, Dresden,VI.433. 1605-1607. Provenance ElectorsofSaxony. made byMarxBischhausenofDresden, thebladeSolingen,circa RAPIER OFCHRISTIANII,ELECTOR OFSAXONY,thehiltprobably brutishsocietyintothemodernage. self-defense joinedforcestoushera Fashion, art,andthescienceof Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell RRenaissance Era OOrnamentation inthe RRapiers as e r n a n a p a i i s m e s r e a s n n

t a c a s e Rüstkammer,Staatliche t

i E o n r

a i n

t h e

PARADE COSTUME OF CHRISTIAN II, ELECTOR OF SAXONY (1583-1611), the construction and embroidery probably Saxon, Dresden, the fabric possibly Italian, beginning of the seventeenth century, between 1601 and 1609. Signed ‘Biberach’. Provenance Electors of Saxony. Rüstkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, I.7. Below: TRAICTÉ CONTENANT LES SECRETS DU PREMIER LIVRE SUR L’ESPÉE SEULE, Henri de Sainct-Didier (active second half of the sixteenth century) Paris, 1573. © Wallace Collection, Howard de Walden Library. Background: FIGHT BOOK DETAIL: Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Gran Simulatero dell’arte e dell’uso della scherma, Siena. © the Howard de Walden Library.

ou could tell a lot about a Renaissance social superiority at a time when traditional class distinctions man from his rapier, the weapon at (including distinctions in dress) were being eroded. According to a French fencing treatise of 1623, the rapier distinguished the center of the Wallace Collection’s a gentleman “from a financier, merchant or burgess, whom the recentt exhibition “The Noble Art of the Sword: abuse of our times permits to be as well-dressed as he.” As decorative as it was deadly, the rapier was a man of fashion’s Fashion and Fencing in Renaissance Europe” largest piece of jewelry, carefully coordinated with the rest of in London. With its narrow, lightweight blade, his clothing and accessories. the rapier was designed for “This is not just an exhibition about swords,” says Tobias Capwell, Curator civilian conflicts rather than of Arms and Armour at the Wallace military skirmishes. Indeed, Collection, who organized the show. “It’s it was useless on the battlefield, about what people’s lives were like.” Fashion, art, and the science of self-defense too long for close combat and joined forces to usher a brutish society too flimsy to penetrate armor. into the modern age. Until the fifteenth century, swords In a duel of honor, however, were worn only when traveling, hunting, its elegant proportions and or on active military duty. The most exquisite ornamentation belied symbolically important of all weapons, the sword’s cruciform shape signified God- its lethal thrusting power. given physical and social power. Since its The rapier—and dueling itself— earliest bronze incarnations, the sword

helped Europe’s nobles assert their has been considered a work of art, or even 29 ORNAMENT 36.1.2012 magic (the secrets of metallurgy being closely guarded by interplay between the medieval knight with the fighting swordsmiths). But it remained a backup weapon, drawn only ability to defend his people honorably, and, at the same time, when arrows and other long-range attacks failed, or used in the cultured gentleman who’s aware of art, literature, music, conjunction with a shield or dagger. And the wearing of swords and the finer things in life. That tension between someone in a civilian context was frowned upon, if not explicitly who is a hardened, powerful warrior and someone who has outlawed. Fencing schools were disbanded, and armed men an artistic and scientific awareness is what being a Renaissance were rightly perceived as troublemakers. man is all about.” By 1520, however, swords were an essential everyday The rapier never entirely lost its air of disreputability, accessory for aristocratic and affluent men. The fashion however; many found it too obviously designed for murder “appeared quite suddenly, and by the second quarter of the rather than self-defense, and its roots in the Italian fencing sixteenth century you had to be wearing a sword at all times,” tradition made it controversial, especially in England. In Romeo Capwell says. “It was as essential as wearing a hat or breeches.” and Juliet, Mercutio dismisses Tybalt as a “fashionmonger” A man’s sword signified not just wealth and status but leisure for adopting the Italian fighting style and weapon of choice, time for daily fencing practice. The sword itself was a valuable before dying on his rapier’s point. possession, but even more valuable was the implied ability to “Just as firearms in civilian life are controversial today, use it, the right to settle personal disputes with a sword being people objected to rapiers on moral and religious grounds,” a long-established privilege of the nobility. Fechtbuchs (fight Capwell says. “We have gun-control issues; they had sword- books) began to include tips on defending one’s honor as well control issues. Thousands of people were killed every year as military techniques. by rapiers.” Rapiers carry romantic connotations today, but their Previously, swords had been relatively plain. But “once origins and history remain widely misunderstood. The term the sword entered the realm of costume and fashion, it became “rapier” probably derives from the Spanish espada ropera, or more elaborately decorated, featuring a wider and more “sword of the robe”—that is, one worn with everyday clothes, complex range of ornamental metalworking techniques than rather than carried into battle. The emergence of the rapier had usually been employed before,” Capwell writes in the in the fifteenth century signaled not just a new style of fighting, handsome exhibition catalogue. Rapiers “had to be integrated but a new definition of masculinity. “For the noble and seamlessly into the whole clothing system, decorated in rich, upwardly mobile middle-class gentleman, there was a duality ostentatious ways that not only matched the other metalwork to the concept of the ideal man,” Capwell observes. “It’s this worn on the person (for example such things as rings,

SAXON RAPIER, Dresden, the blade Solingen, circa 1608. Provenance Electors of Saxony. Rüstkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, VI.370 and XI.4. Background: CAMILLO AGRIPPA, Del Trattato di Scientia d’arme, Venice. © the Howard de Walden Library. 30 ORNAMENT 36.1.2012 would makeLiberaceblush. so ornate;theyhadtocompetewithclothesthat opulence ofhiscostume.Nowonderrapierswere acanthus leaves,arealmostoverwhelmedbythe dagger, theirpommelsembellishedwithspreading his waist,Italian-madegiltrapierandmatching encrusted doubletofrichsilkwithscallopededges.At Earl ofLeicester,resplendentinafeatheredcapandpearl- Wallace Collection’scirca1560-65portraitofRobertDudley, can beseeninpaintingsincludedtheexhibition,like preserved armoryofthePrinceElectorsSaxony.Others thoughtful thematicintroductionsandentries,onthewell- of sevenfocusedscholarlyessayssupplementingCapwell’s catalogue, particularlyinJuttaCharlottevonBloh’sessay,one Dressed tokill,indeed. it wasashowstopper,theperfectmarriageofsuitandsword. Dresden Armory—wastheonlycompleteoutfitondisplay, doublet andbreeches.Whiletheensemble—onloanfrom quatrefoil pommelechoingtheembroiderymotifon blue,withasilver hiltfullyenameledinbrilliantultramarine Elector ofSaxony,andamatchingrapier,itssolidSaxon silver-embroidered bluevelvetparadecostumeofChristianII, wornaffluent. bythe carefully coordinatedwiththesplendidsilksandvelvets complemented andaugmentedtheclothingitself,”being pendants, ear-rings,buttons,andbuckles),butalsop endants, ear-rin wa Many moresurvivinggarmentsarepicturedinthe As proofofthis,theexhibitionpresentedluminous rn l th e er d n is at , us l ma ce t, th e;e o h h they had to c had they to ei kek ea f is a r ve hi L I L pop I i ta iberace bl iberace s co s, a mm li a an rer m st t a -m um el g lm s, s em m ad e. om b us oso b N e s N ut h.h t be pe gig o ov

to ll lt v te wo t isi e r er ns w he apa w whw nd , it d ier andier matching h an ere el with spreading cl me r d oto apa bu d bythe hes that pg iers u cck w w lle ere s), butalso hilts, daggers,scabbards,purses,andswordbeltswithout chosen portraitsareblownuptoshowthesculpturalrapier slashed clothingfashionableatthetime.Incatalogue,well- one mid-sixteenthcenturyrapierevenmimickedthepuffedand relationship betweenfashionandfencing;thepommelof exhibition repeatedlydrewourattentiontothesymbiotic one ofmanyeye-catchingelementsinaman’sattire.Butthe portraits oftheperiod;often,justhiltisvisible,anditonly hilt madeanaestheticstatementevenwhenitwasnot defended bythebuckler.Flamboyantbutfunctional,swept forming aprotectivecagearoundtheswordhand,formerly fell outofuse,therapier’sdistinctive“swept”hiltemerged, “Sword andPen:FencingMastersArtists.” The themeisdevelopedinSydneyAnglo’scatalogueessay, contemporary artisticstyleslikeMannerismandOrientalism. duel. Rapiersintheexhibitiondisplayedallhallmarksof a Fechtbuch;Caravaggiokilledatleastonemaninrapier duelists themselves.Holbeindesignedweapons;Dürerproduced probably becausesomanyimportantartistswerefencersand even fullydressed. which agentlemancouldnotbeconsideredwell-dressed,or embellished withexpensivematerialsordecorative As aresult,itiseasytooverlooktheubiquitousrapierin As smallshields(calledbucklers,asin“swashbuckler”) There isarichvisualrecordofRenaissanceswordsmanship, made inexplicably solid,attractsandcaptivatestheeye,” made techniques. Chainswereapopularmotifforrapierhilts that aninherentlyflexibleconstructcouldbe in thesecondhalfofsixteenthcentury.“Theconceit, Capwell writes. form. “Alltheornamentaltechniquesand the TrusteesofWallaceCollection. circa 1605-15. ENGLISH RAPIER-HILT,bladeGerman, There wereendlessvariationsonthebasic of theWallaceCollection. 1585-1620. ITALIAN RAPIER-HILT,bladeSpanish, circa ©bykindpermissionof ©bykindpermission oftheTrustees

31 ORNAMENT 36.1.36.1.20122012 ITALIAN RAPIER, circa 1590-1620. © by kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection.

materialsmaterials avaavailableaiilablb e to the Renaissance during tthehe RRenaissance.ennaiisss ance. WhWhileile crccraftsmenaftst men inn GGermanyerman memetalworkertalwl orker wewerere eemployedmployed in the pproductionroductc ion were restricted by llawawa to one arareaeae of the swswordmakingordmak of ffine-qualityine-quality rarapiers,”piers,” CaCapwellpwp ell popointsints ooutut iinn ththehe process, in Milan, a whole rrapierappiei r and itiitss acaaccessoriescessorie caccatalogue,talogue, iincludingnclul ding enameling, fire-gilding, steel-chiseling, cocouldould be made and decorated under one roof. SiSilvio anandd dadamascening.mam sccenninng. OOften,ften, a cocombinationmbination ofo three or four LeLeydi’sydy i’s essaessayy on ““TheThT e SworSwordsmithsdssmiiths of MilMilan”ann” exextractstrract tytypespep s of ddecorationecoratioon cacanan beb ffoundound iinn ononee weweapon.aponn. fascinatinfascinatingg informatinformationion ffrfromom ttheheh bbusinessusiness rerecordscord of AlAAlthoughthough tthehee hhiltilt wawwass alaalwaysways the most elaborate the two largest Milanese swordsmiths’ workshworkshops;opps; ttheh fefeatureata uru e ofo a rapier, occoccasionallyasionally ththee blbladeadde wawass eqequallyually rerecordsecordr s themselves are ttranscribedransn cribed in an appenappendix.dix. oroornate.nan te. A fifinelynelyy wwroughtrought bbladelade gave ititss owownerwnen r a The exhibition mmadeade lalavishaviv sh uusese ooff ilillustratedluustrated manuscmanuscriptsr psychological advantage in a duel by implying that it was and printed books showing weapons like the ones on drawn often, since it could be admired in no other way. An display or in use. Some of these Fechtbuchs were illustrated Italian rapier of circa 1600 with an intricately serrated blade with naked figures to highlight correct body position; others would have surprised and unsettled an enemy as well as depicted contemporary high fashion befitting a sophisticated performing a defensive role, preventing the opponent from swordsman. They represented a wide range of carefully seizing the blade. elucidated scientific theories of swordsmanship, whose respective A rare extending rapier—which grew twenty-two merits were hotly debated by enthusiasts. According to centimeters at the release of a catch—is a novelty rather than Capwell, these books were read not just by professional an innovation. Capwell points out that the extra inches fencing masters but by “anyone carrying a sword, which probably did not help in a fight, making the blade too heavy was a large proportion of the population.” and unwieldy. Again, however, the element of surprise may In addition to high-fashion rapiers and garments, the have given the attacker an edge. exhibition also included rare utilitarian pieces, like dueling Some rapiers were purely ornamental, with jeweled hilts gloves reinforced with recycled scraps of mail and “foiled” of soft metals like gold and silver. “Such treasure swords rapiers, the blunt weapons used for fencing instruction. were not only never meant to be fought with, they were not Capwell recreated a “balled” rapier by covering the sharp tip even expected to be drawn or even grasped,” Capwell writes. with a leather ball the exact size of an eye socket, to prevent Today, they are so fragile that they are not allowed to fly— accidents. A dueling gauntlet illustrated the difference many of the objects borrowed for the exhibition from AuAustrianstriann aandnd GGermanermam n cocollectionsollectiionns hahadd to ccomeome to EEnglandnglandd byy ttruck.ruckk. NoNott cocoincidentally,incidentally, MiMilanlal n wawass ththee cecenternter ooff bobothth aarmsrms mamanufacturenufacturu e anaandd ththee tetextilextili e trtradeade

SPANISH RAPIER, circa 1565-1600. © by kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection. Background: FIGHT BOOK DETAIL: Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Gran Simulatero dell’arte e dell’uso della scherma, Siena. © the Howard de Walden Library. 32 ORNAMENT 36.1.2012 RAPIER OF THE FUTURE HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN II (1527-76), the hilt Spanish or Italian, the blade by Antonio Piccinino of Milan, circa 1550-70. Hofjagd –und Rüstkammer, Vienna, A588.

Right: PHILIPPE LE ROY by Anthony van Dyck, 1630. © by kind permission of the Trustees of the Wallace Collection.

between gagauntletsuntlets wowornrnn fforor dduelinguelil ng oorr feffencingnccing prpracticeaca tice ththee wawayy itit’s’s’ uusedseed ununlessless yyouou hhaveaave sossomemem mmartialarrtiial aartsrtr and those wowornrnn oonn ththee babattlefieldttlefiield as ppartara t of a ssuituit of exexperience.”pep rience.” HHisiss aappreciationppreeciatioi n foforor ththehe phphysicalysical armor; thehe fformerorrmem r hhahadd a llolonger,ngerr, mmomorere fittefittedd cucufffff aandnd prpropertiesopo erties aandndd tactile qualiqualitiesties of hihistoricisstoric wweaponseaapoons is finger platesatees ththathata overlapped upwards raratherthher thathann evidevidentdennt iin tthehe eexhibitionxhibitioon catacatalogue,loogue, wwhichhich iincludesncludes downwards.ds.s TThehe eexamplexax mple on display, ffromrom thtthee collcollectionecction ininterestingterer sting sisidede aandnd bbackack viviewsewws and glggloriousorioi us ffull-pageulll-pag of the Royalal AArmouries,rmouries, LeLeeds,eds, wwasas a wworkork of aartrtr iinn ititself,self, dedetailstaili s of tthehe rrareare obobjects,jects,s as wewwellll aass a ususefulefe ul gglossarylossary and a very ssimilarimilar ggauntletaunttleet cacann be sseeneen in tthehe 11562565 2 “P“PortraitPortrait anandd bibibliography.blioography. of a Fencingngg Master”Masa ter” fromfrom thethe PhiladelphiaPhili adelphia MuseumMuseum off “T“Thehe NNobleoble AArtrt ooff ththee SwSword”ord” wwasas ttimedimed ttoo cocoincideini cid Art’s collection.ction. wiwwiththh tthehe OOlympics—onelyympics—one of tthehe ffewew ooccasionsccasions wwhenhen Capwellell isi somethingsomete hiing ofof a RenaissanceRenan issance manmam n himself.himselff. A ththee gegeneralnen ral pupublicblic ggetsets to sseeee wworld-classorld-claass ffencingenciing ttheseheh s respected scscholarcholar anandnd cucuratorraator of hhistoricistot ric weweaponsapons as wwellell dadays—butysy —but tthehe ccatalogueatallogue iiss ononee foforr ththee agages.es. It iiss a as a competitiveetitit ve jjouster,ouo ster, he sstartedtat rtted ffencingenncing wwhenhen he wwasass susumptuousumptut ous anantidotetidod tet ttoo thetht e ststripped-downrir pped-down elelectronicecctrrono eleven yearsrsrs oold.ld. “F“Fororo mme,e,e iit’st’s alalwayslways bbeeneeen veveryryy iimportantmpporrtantt weweaponsaponns andand plainplp ain whitewhite uniformsunifi ormsm used by OlympicOlympiic to study thehe physical side of this,” he reveals. ““It’sIt’s a very feffencersncers today.todad y. physical subject.ubject. I wouldn’t ffeeleel comfortable writing a book aboutut helicopters unless I knkneweww what it was like SUGGESTEDSUGU GESTED READING flying aroundund in them.” Anglo, Sydney.Sydney. The MartialMaM rtial Arts of RenaissanceRenaissance Europe. London: Yale The curator’surator’s personal experience of rapier and University Press, 2000. Capwell, Tobias and David Edge. Masterpieces of European Arms dagger fightingghting informed every facet of the exeexhibition.hibitiono . and AArArmourmour in the Wallace Collection. London: PaulPauaul Holberton PubPublishing,lishing, 2012011.1.1 “One of thehe rereallyalllyl iinterestingntere esting tthingshings ababoutouo t thtthee rrarapierpierr iiss Castiglione, Baldesar. The Book of the Courtier.Courtu ier. New York: Norton how it evolvesolves over time,” Capwell says. “You can’t Critical Editions, 2002. Springer, CaCarolyn.arolyn. Armor andn Masculinity in ththee Italian Renaissance. really appreciatepreciate how the changes in desigdesignn affect TorTToronto:onto: University of Toronto Press, 2010. 33 ORNAMENT 36.1.2012