Accession Number

1986.008.0742

Creation Date

circa 1620

Description

An iron rapier pommel recovered from the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. A pommel is a globular knob that screwed onto the base end of a sword hilt, to act as a counterweight to the long blade and move the center of gravity toward the hilt and the hand. This balance made the rapier much easier to handle and maneuver. The iron base of this piece is decorated with a plating of silver. It is 6.2 centimeters long.

Exhibition Label

Case Caption (2023):

Hand Weapons

The rapier was used by gentlemen and common soldiers alike. Its light but deadly blade required changes in fighting techniques that emphasized intellect and training over brute force.

Born in Seville, Spain, Jeronimo Sánchez de Carranza was a nobleman, scientist, and humanist but also an expert swordsman. He created a new school of fighting named destreza (dexterity), that incorporated logic, geometry, and lethal efficiency with a sense of morality. Using these values, he developed the ideal of the honorable warrior-poet, which remained the model for Spanish noblemen for centuries to come.

For his valor in fighting for Phillip II, de Carranza was appointed to the Order of the Image of Christ, formerly known as the Knights Templar. Later, he was sent to the Americas as the governor of Honduras. He died in Guatemala in 1608.
Object Caption (2023): 

Sword Pommels
Silver, silver gilt, iron (c.1600)
Gift of Jamestown Inc.
1986.008.0590, 1986.008.0731, 1986.008.0742, 1986.008.1001f, 1986.008.1116, 1986.008.1374

The pommel acted as a counterweight to the blade. It was attached to the end of the hilt, just past the swordsman’s hand, balancing the sword and making it easier to wield.