Art Institute of Chicago

Sword (Pappenheimer Rapier)

Dutch

Date

c. 1630

Medium

Steel, silver, gilding, wood, and leather

Culture

Netherlands

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Both mounted cavalry and men on foot favored this form of sword during the height of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). The large guard fitted with pierced plates protected the user’s hand from heavy cuts and thrusts. The weapon is often termed a Pappenheimer rapier after the German Count Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim, an imperial field marshal during the conflict. This is an unusually ornate example, with silver and partially gilt lion heads chiseled onto the steel hilt.

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