Pierre Jacques François Girard – Fencing. Hand-colored, heightened with gold – 1740

Heightened with Gold !Beautiful hand-colored engraving heightened with gold from Pierre Jacques François Girard’s Traité des armes.Den Haag, P. de Hondt, 1740.53e planche: "Parade de ceux qui tiennent leur Epée a deux mains".Pierre Jacques François Girard’s "Traité des armes" is celebrated as one of the most visually stunning and comprehensive fencing manuals of the Enlightenment era. The engravings are widely considered some of the finest masterpieces of martial arts illustration in history. The figures are dressed in precise military uniforms of the Louis XV era. This engraving "106e Planche: "Demi tour a droite. premier tems. Et second tems." is in very beautiful hand colored and heigtened with gold, which you rarely see.The engraving depicts two swordsmen demonstrating Parade de ceux qui tiennent leur Épée à deux mains, a defensive guard in which the sword is held with both hands to make strong parries in tierce and quarte. The right-hand swordsman braces his weapon with both hands and keeps its point raised as his opponent extends a thrust. The action illustrates how the two-handed grip strengthens the defence before the fencer releases his left hand and delivers a conventional one-handed riposte.The figures wear Louis XV-era fencing dress, including tricorn hats, fitted... lees verder bij Catawiki