Radaelli saber
Italian school saber…
The photograph supposedly shows Masaniello Parise’s assistants Carlo Pessina and Salvatore Pecoraro (standing, with the dark jacket) who in 1910 collaborated to publish La scherma di sciabola, the new offical textbook for saber instruction at the Military Fencing Masters School in Rome. The identification is difficult, but allowing for certain growth patterns in his mustache, the fencer to the left could be Pessina.
They’re using Radaelli sabers.
Dr. William Gaugler comments: “The cut executed by the sabre fencer in the lunge is technically a cut to the flank (Science of Fencing, 210. fig. 106), and would be called that by an Italian fencing master. If the opposing swordsman on the left were still in the guard position at the time the attack was launched, he would, if the target area was exposed, be cut in the flank. By retreating and performing a counterattack to the forearm, he rose, thus making the attack appear to have been directed to the ‘hip or upper thigh.’”
fantastic. do you by chance know how many such photographs there are of this era of the Scuola?
Comment by D Achilleus — May 5, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
I am not certain, as I only was able to track down these two.
Comment by fencingclassics — May 5, 2009 @ 5:17 pm