Our Renaissance-style Swept Hilt Rapiers trace their origins to early 17th century Europe, where swordplay with the Rapier was considered an essential part of a gentleman’s education and was often used in resolving gentlemanly disagreements. Blades generally originated in one of the blade making centers such as Toledo or Solingen, but many differences in styling and hilt materials resulted from the local manufacture of hilts all over Europe.

The Main Gauche, or left hand dagger, was often used with the rapier, providing an added dimension in both offense and defense, and the “Schools of Fence” which proliferated in Europe during this period taught the use of the two weapons in combination. The Main Gauche would often match the Rapier in styling, while incorporating features which maximized the effectiveness of the piece.

The swept-hilt rapiers and their attendant main gauches have now been redesigned to provide lighter, better balanced pieces than earlier models. The hilts are now of the same size as the museum pieces on which they are based, providing an authentic “feel” in the user’s hand. All of the rapier and main gauche blades shown on Pages 80, 81, 82 and 83 of the catalog are interchangeable with the “Practical” blades (OH2255 - rapier, OH2256 - Main Gauche), which are designed for safety in rapier sparring. This gives the user a wide choice of swept hilt styles for use with both live and “Practical” blades. A replacement live blade is also available (OH2327 - $65).

Made by Hanwei.