Design for a Rapier Hilt and Scabbard Chape
Medium
Etching, engraving
Dimensions
Diam. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
Classification
Works on Paper-Engravings
Culture
French
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Andrew Solomon Gift, 2016
Accession Number
2016.245
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of Renaissance France, Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II crafted this intricate *Design for a Rapierilt and Scabbardape* in 1555. As a versatile artist-engraver and goldsmith from Lorraine, Woeiriot in ornamental patterns for luxury metalwork, bridging fine art and functional objects. This etching and engraving measuring 7 1/2 inches in diameter, elaborate designs for the rapier's hilt—the sword's grip—and the chape, the reinforced metal tip of its scabbard. Rapiers were emblematic of 16th-century European nobility, symbols of status wielded in duels and courts. The printmakin...