Lot 813

17th C. Spanish Colonial Cup-Hilt Rapier - Espada de Taza

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Lot 813
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17th C. Spanish Colonial Cup-Hilt Rapier - Espada de Taza
17th C. Spanish Colonial Cup-Hilt Rapier - Espada de Taza
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17th C. Spanish Colonial Cup-Hilt Rapier - Espada de Taza

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,800

Current Bid: $600

(1 Bid)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Colonial Americas, Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain or the Caribbean, ca. 1680–1780 CE. A cavalryman's sword whose form outlived its era. The long, double-edged blade tapers to a thrusting point yet keeps width enough for the cut, a weapon meant to be wielded from the saddle. Above it sits the espada de taza: a shallow iron cup guard, a straight quillon bar with knobbed terminals, a sweeping knuckle-bow, and a turned wooden grip capped by a baluster pommel. Nothing here is dress finery. The plain cup, unadorned grip, and unmarked blade mark it as munitions-grade issue rather than a gentleman's ornament. Despite the "rapier" label, this is a working military side-arm, built for the practical violence of frontier service and carried by horsemen who needed reach, balance, and durability far more than polish. Size of blade: 36.1" L x 1.5" W (91.7 cm L x 3.8 cm W); of sword: 42.3" L x 7.3" W (107.4 cm L x 18.5 cm W).

The cup-hilt sword, or espada de taza, is one of the most distinctively Iberian arms of the early modern age. Spain and its viceroyalties retained it in active military service for nearly a century after the rest of Europe had abandoned such swords for the lighter smallsword. Weapons of this type armed the presidial cavalry and colonial militia who held the far frontiers of the Spanish empire, from the garrisons of Florida across the length of New Spain to the Rio Grande. Its endurance is precisely its historical interest: a conservative colonial military culture kept a form alive that fashion had long left behind, so that a soldier on the 18th-century northern frontier might still carry a sword whose lineage reached back to the duelists of Golden Age Spain.

Provenance: private Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA collection, acquired in 2024 via descent; ex-private Louisiana, USA collection

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Item # 203312

  • Condition: Missing some wood covers on grip with some loosening to wood and metal rings as well as splintering, and chipping. Expected weathering to surface with dulling to blade edge and some nicks in areas. Otherwise, very nice with rich patina throughout.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000