1628 Rapier Prints with Background Scenes from Scola, Overo Teatro by Nicoletto Giganti

These engravings originate from Nicoletto Giganti’s Scola, overo Teatro, first published in Venice in 1606 and followed by a second expanded edition in 1628. Giganti was one of the leading masters of the Venetian school of fencing, and his manual became a cornerstone of Italian rapier technique during the early 17th century. His clear, methodical instruction paired with some of the finest engraved fencing plates of the period helped shape European swordsmanship and influenced generations of masters throughout the Italian peninsula and beyond. This collection of prints feature the most visually dramatic leaves in Giganti’s treatise—plates that place the fencers before elaborate harbor cities, fortresses, mountains, burning villages, and monumental structures like pyramids and arks. Unlike the more technical plates in other sections of the book, these scenes combine martial instruction with allegorical or narrative backgrounds, emphasizing the universality of fencing principles across la