First, all the swords from Francisco Ruiz that I have seen, are those of the type known as "espadas de conchas", which combines in this case a kind of cup-hilt made with metal plates combined with some bars or laces, but this does not exclude the possibility that there can be some swords from the same smith with hilts of the type known as "espadas de lazo", with bars or laces and no metal plates.
Second, Fer is completely right. The category or title of "Espadero del Rey" (Swordsmith of the King) is referred in this century, not to a kind of employment in the exclusive service of the king. Not to be confused with the swordsmith of the State-promoted Real Fábrica de Espadas of Toledo (the Royal Factory of Swords of Toledo), founded in 1761, latter the Fábrica de Armas Blancas de Toledo. It refers to a recognition given to those swordsmiths who had distinguished themselves making exceptional works. In other words, it is a title given by merits and not for beign in the paysheet of the king. And the swordsmith can live in Toledo or in Valencia, that does not matter or is related to the residence of the king.
And this title, which gives not only prestige, but also a permanent tax exemption for the swordsmith, is inscribed frecuently on the blades not with a particular stamp, but with the respective descriptive text. This can be also confirmed in the excellent book from Vicente Toledo Momparler "Espadas Españolas Militares y Civiles del Siglo XVI al XX" (Spanish Military and Civil Swords from the 16th to the 20th Century). But this is not a only a matter of books. It is enough to look for the recognized blades of Espaderos del Rey and see if they have half-moon stamps. They not. Half-moon stamps can be found also on germanic blades of rapiers, of course not belonging to a "Espadero del Rey". Maybe this stamp was a misattribution.
Third. Corneliusstomp is right, globular pommels are very rare in Spanish rapiers, and when you find them, they never have that kind of decoration.
Fourth. Fer, according to Momparler, the inscription "Espadero del Rey" can be found also "en los lomos del recazo", meaning, the spine of the ricasso. See the description which he gives of the Espada de Lazo de Aval del Monte en Toledo from the 16th Century.
Unfortunately, adding to the scarcity on studies of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American edged weapons, non-spanish and portuguese speaking collectors have the grat barrier of language, so the english written texts are very incomplete and have often inaccuracies or arbitrary designations. As the term "Caribbean Rapier", designating a Spanish colonial sword, some times even a Spanish colonial cavalry sword, with a more wide blade but with a cup-hilt. The term sounds very romantic, with vague reminiscences to pirates, palm trees and sandy beaches, but is imprecise, since it refers only to a certain characteristics found only in certain pieces, not necessarily Caribbean, nor necessarily rapiers, but only Spanish colonial swords made with scarcity of materials, lack of financiang and not very good craftmanship, often combining types of hilts and blades belonging to a different types of historical swords, not to mention the cultural influence from other peoples, as in the case of the african influence on the machetes of Guanabacoa and the "berber swords" from Santo Domingo in the Caribbean.
Regards
|