Today we take a look at a very special piece, our Writhen Rapier. This is a replica of A602 in the Wallace Collection. See the original here.
This is a piece that we have always viewed as one of the crown jewels in our product line. It is a stunningly elegant rapier of Italian origin from the early 17th century. The elaborate twisting of all elements of the hilt give our piece its name. Writhen, or writhed, both refer to something twisted or contorted, and this was a design element for many German and Italian swords in the renaissance period.
We had stopped production of this piece for about five years due to the illness and death of Greg Bentson, our longtime rapier maker and resident historical design genius. This is the most difficult piece that we make as a production item. Each bar is hot twisted by hand prior to being shaped (see this prior post for info on how it's done). Extreme care has to be taken to ensure an even twist so that the bars can then be shaped and joined to the hilt.
View of the twisting elements of the Writhen Rapier
We are very happy to be able to offer this gorgeous and authentic piece once again. As with our other rapiers, we take a deposit of $150 upon ordering, with the remainder due when the piece is complete. We estimate an 18-24 month wait time between order and fulfillment.
As always, our swords and other weapons are entirely made by us, by hand, at our shop in Minneapolis, MN. Sword blades are hand ground of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. Arms & Armor is dedicated to quality and authenticity. For over four decades we have worked with museums, collectors, and scholars to develop a deep understanding of European weapons; knowledge we use to make products that exemplify the finest qualities of the very best historic pieces. When we select historic items to reproduce, being pretty isn't enough, they have to move with grace and beauty, and beg to be used when in the hand. These are pieces that feel as good as they look, and that work as well as they feel.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is President and CEO of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985