Accession Number

1986.008.1116

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

Decorated with vertical grooves.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

Hand Weapons

The rapier was used by gentlemen and common soldiers alike. Its light but deadly blade required changes in fighting techniques that emphasized intellect and training over brute force.

Born in Seville, Spain, Jeronimo Sánchez de Carranza was a nobleman, scientist, and humanist but also an expert swordsman. He created a new school of fighting named destreza (dexterity), that incorporated logic, geometry, and lethal efficiency with a sense of morality. Using these values, he developed the ideal of the honorable warrior-poet, which remained the model for Spanish noblemen for centuries to come.

For his valor in fighting for Phillip II, de Carranza was appointed to the Order of the Image of Christ, formerly known as the Knights Templar. Later, he was sent to the Americas as the governor of Honduras. He died in Guatemala in 1608.
Object Caption (2023): 

Sword Pommels
Silver, silver gilt, iron (c.1600)
Gift of Jamestown Inc.
1986.008.0590, 1986.008.0731, 1986.008.0742, 1986.008.1001f, 1986.008.1116, 1986.008.1374

The pommel acted as a counterweight to the blade. It was attached to the end of the hilt, just past the swordsman’s hand, balancing the sword and making  it easier to wield.