Del Tin Early Rapier / Sidesword – 16th Century

This Early Rapier is a 16th Century Sidesword/Cut-and-Thrust sword that has become longer and more tapered, hinting at the form that would become the rapier, though it is early on this evolutionary divergence and its handling characteristics are solidly grounded in the Cut-and-Thrust style. Early Renaissance Cut-and-Thrust swords, such as this one based on an Italian 16th Century example, were descendents of the earlier, familiar medieval swords. These blades share the tapered profile and diamond cross section typical of late medieval types. Blades of this form are tapered sharply enough for good thrusting and armor penetration, but the blade retains the mass needed to give debilitating cuts.

The big changes are in the hilt – the quillons of cut and thrust swords often became more curved and complex and additional protective rings appear above the crossguard to protect the swordsmans index finger. The ricasso above the blade is unsharpened and protected with rings so that the fighter can loop a finger over the crossguard giving him more blade control. All of this extra hilt protection was introduced to follow the trend of warriors discarding bulky gauntlets in favor of an unencumbered and nimble hand.The clashing and sliding of swords is clearly dangerous to the hands and hilts evolved into ever more complex forms to give excellent protection.

Cut-and-Thrust swords are often incorrectly viewed as precursors to the rapier, when in fact they co-existed with the thinner, iconic rapier. The beefier cut-and-thrust design was favored by soldiers, whereas the rapier was largely a civilian weapon. Weapons used in battle needed the durability to defend and deflect against the weapons of numerous foes for longer periods of time, in contrast to the rapier that was most often used in one-on-one duels in a short burst of action. Cut-and-Thrust swords were often used in conjunction with a buckler or parrying dagger to complete the art of defence.

This cut-and-thrust sword is identified as a Spada da Lato or Side Sword – a variant intended for civilian defense. It is made by Del Tin of Italy, and has an unsharpened blade ground from Chrome-Vanadium steel and tempered to a Rockwell Hardness of 50. The blade is peened to the pommel and ensconced within a complex hilt of darkened, cast steel. The grip has been spiraled with wire over formed brown leather and surmounted with cast brass ferrules.