Product Description
The Valiant Hero In Love
Grato era al re, piú grato era alla figlia
quel cavallier chiamato Arïodante,
per esser valoroso a maraviglia;
ma piú, ch’ella sapea che l’era amante.
Né Vesuvio, né il monte di Siciglia,
né Troia avampò mai di fiamme tante,
quante ella conoscea che per suo amore
Arïodante ardea per tutto il core.
Orlando Furioso, Canto V
Ludovico Ariosto
1516
Ariodante was named after the tragic and pure paladin from the Orlando Furioso, whose story is a perfect portrait of the courtly love and its dangers. Even if Ludovico Ariosto was often ironic and critical of love and its effects on people, this story was so compelling that inspired later works, like the opera by Friedrich Haendel.
This “Spadone” is a wonderful example of a 16th century two handed sword, as taught by Master at Arms Achille Marozzo in his Opera Nova (1536). The extraordinarily refined hilt, with the iron wire wrapped grip and turk’s heads, crowns the luxurious blade, whose fullered geometry was taken from an Italian two handed sword preserved at the MET. The elegant crossguard was also inspired by another beautiful spadone preserved at the Ermitage, and the pommel shape was chosen after some examples in the Art Institute of Chicago.
*This product is for display only. Currently, we are not taking commissions for further items based on this one for a while, as the working process is very time consuming and we are training to improve our efficiency.
This sword is fully handmade without templates, so every Ariodante will be different from the previous one, as our craftsmanship and methods evolve and prevent machine-made effects. Tiny imperfections, differences and asymmetries give your sword a completely unique personality.
