27 - Bolognese fencing parry guard, circa 1525.

Bolognese fencing parry guard, circa 1525. Concave body engraved with circles designed to slow thrusts in order to block and break sword points within the three concentric rings. The outer surface also provides reinforcement against cutting blows. In the center is a “blade-breaker” hook, secured by two rivets. The inner grip is made of shaped and riveted sheet metal. A rare piece due to its design and the fencing techniques it exemplifies, it corresponds perfectly to the Bolognese fencing schools of the first half of the 16th century. We note, in particular, the school of Achille Marozzo, who depicted dueling scenes involving similar weapons in his 1536 treatise *Opera nova de Achille Marozzo*. Shows signs of use. Bibliography: This piece is documented and reproduced in *L’encyclopédie médiévale* by Violet le Duc (fig. 5). “The small rouelle, later given the name ‘rondache,’ seems to have been used only for combat on foot. Its diameter was barely 0.30 m at the time. It was made of boiled leather or iron. Figure 4 shows several of these rouelles: in A4, carried by a foot soldier without any other defensive weapon; in B5, carried by fully armed men, but fighting on foot. This type of round shield, even smaller in diameter and attached to the infantryman’s sword scabbard, came to be known in the 14th century as a “boce.” (See BOCE). Held in the left hand, this round shield allowed the bearer to parry the enemy’s blows. Later, it was fitted with projections that allowed the user to engage the blade of the opponent’s sword and break it, or at least prevent the opponent from returning to a guard position. It was around the middle of the 15th century that this blade-breaking rondache began to be used in fencing. Figure 5 shows a fine example of this defensive weapon. It is made of excellent burnished steel and lined with leather on the inside. The cross-section shows the vertical grip through which the left hand was inserted, and the two steel rings separated by brass supports, rings beneath which the tip of the sword would engage. The front hook, which was used to hang the rondache—either from the sword scabbard or from the belt—provided yet another means of catching the opponent’s blade and breaking it. Note that the rim is bowl-shaped, designed to direct thrusts beneath the larger circle. The leather lining is secured by brass rivets, the heads of which are visible on the rim.” Related works: -Wallace Collection: Italian shield, mid-16th century. Inventory number A319. Reproduced in the book *The Art of Fencing* by Thomas Capwell. Diameter: 37 cm. Made in northern Italy, probably Milan.