La scherma illustrata (Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini, 1670)

La scherma illustrata is an Italian-language printed fencing treatise by Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini from 1670. Little is known about the author's life. In 1670 he stated that he had fenced for 22 years and claimed the Neapolitan fencing tradition led by the Marcelli family. The work expounds rapier fencing. Besides the rapier alone, it covers its use with the dagger, the cloak and the small shield (buckler). The text is accompanied by illustrations. As his models Pallavicini names Matteo Galici and Giovanni Mattei. The treatise has two parts. In 1673 the author followed the first with a second, titled La seconda parte della scherma illustrata. Both parts were translated into English by Christopher Holzman, the first published in 2018 as Fencing Illustrated, the second in 2020 as The Second Part of Fencing Illustrated. In the sources we have not been able to reliably document the place of publication, the printer or the extent of each part.

Martial arts in this work

Contents

The treatise deals with rapier fencing. Besides the rapier alone, it covers its combinations with another weapon or aid: the dagger, the cloak and the small shield (buckler). Among fencing sources it is therefore classed under the disciplines rapier, rapier and dagger, rapier and cloak, and rapier and shield. Pallavicini draws on the Neapolitan fencing tradition of the Marcelli family and names Matteo Galici and Giovanni Mattei as models, the latter not to be confused with the author of the work. Illustrations accompany the text.

Editions and translations

The first part, La scherma illustrata, appeared in 1670, the second, La seconda parte della scherma illustrata, in 1673. Transcriptions made from the prints of 1670 and 1673 exist for both parts. The illustrations are in the public domain and are available through Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Christopher Holzman translated both parts into English. He self-published the first in 2018 under the title Fencing Illustrated, the second in 2020 as The Second Part of Fencing Illustrated. We did not find a translation into other languages in the sources.

People and martial arts

• Giuseppe Morsicato PallaviciniAuthor
• Christopher HolzmanTranslator

Details

Form

Printed book

Editions

• 1670 · IT · La scherma illustrata · first edition
• 2018 · EN · Fencing Illustrated · Christopher Holzman · translation
• 2020 · EN · The Second Part of Fencing Illustrated · Christopher Holzman · translation