Sinister Sidesword
sold by Czerny's for €3,900
A north Italian left-handed sidesword c.1560, of 113.5 cm in total length, sold by Czerny's auction house for €3,900.
Double-edged blade of hexagonal section, with double central groove at the base and on the ricasso. Finely carved hilt with floral motifs and imposing pommel, short dark wooden grip decorated with longitudinal iron staves and carvings in the centre. Provenance: Mario Troso Collection.
I estimated the grip on this piece to be 7.6cm in length, the pommel to be 3.6cm tall (from the rope-like decoration at its base), the blade to be 99cm long and 3.2cm wide. I like it quite a lot, a long blade, a short grip and a hilt with minimal but sufficient sweeps for hand protection. I was even thinking to try my luck at getting it for a good price, until I noticed its sinister nature. I am curious, if it had been for right-handed use, would it have obtained a larger or a smaller hammer price?
Looking at it, I think it represents a good example of a spada da lato a striscia (a narrow/thrust/stripe/strip/band sidesword; a good translation and adaptation pending, once I understand more how Italians actually use the word striscia in this context; spoilers, they do so in an inconsistent fashion, which is why I would avoid a direct translation). In essence, one would finger the crossguard, emphasise the thrust compared to more traditional Bolognese sidesword traditions, but it would not neglect the cut to the extent of later rapier systems (i.e. more Agrippa than Manciolino, but not quite Capoferro).
Too bad it’s for the wrong hand…
There are a few pieces denoted as sideswords that can exemplify "spada da lato a striscia". With a 99cm long blade that is only 3.2cm wide, together with a short 7.6cm grip, this (https://virtusmartialis.substack.com/p/sinister-sidesword) would be a perfect example (minus its sinister build) of a sword that is not just a sidesword, but is not quite a rapier either.
In English, the best translation is "streak-sword" (short for streak sidesword) to avoid strip, stripe, or band translations for striscia. And streak has a meaning of moving fast in one direction, which I think captures the idea of the thrust, appropriate for later sidesword styles.