The Nastrino Sidesword |

∴ A Ribbon of Light∴

You stumble down the long, lightless corridor with all the speed you can muster, leather-soled shoes sliding against polished wooden boards. Your heartbeat is erratic as your footsteps – you were never cut out for running, always one to stand and fight. Yet tonight you found yourself outmatched, outwitted, taken unawares. How could you have guessed that your pursuer would find you here, in the shadowy respite of your former home?

A shaft of cold moonlight falls through a crack in a door, staining the dark floor before you. You swing a hard left toward it – moonlight means a window. And a window means an escape. With a grunt of exertion you throw your wounded shoulder against the creaking wood and tumble through the portico. You slam the door closed behind you and fall back hard against it, your vision filling with snow-like stars as you press hands into thighs for balance. You allow yourself a moment – only a moment – to draw a ragged breath.

Yet in that moment you glimpse it. The silver ribbon of light, dust motes dancing against the dirty window as it snakes through the casement and comes to rest on the sword. The sword could be an extension of that light – the polished S of its quillons, the enfolding band of its guard. There is a softness to its steeliness, an almost fluidity in the way it mirrors the moonlight. For a moment – only a moment – you stand abstracted, dumbstruck by serendipity.

And then the moment is over. Your hand is already wrapping around the grip. Your feet are finding their familiar stance. You are turning on your heel to face the door. And the prey becomes the hunter.

∴ Specs ∴

This classic design is simple elegance in a nutshell, boasting beautifully hand-carved furniture and graceful handling. The sword is subtly balanced to favour the broad-based blade, giving authority in the bind and energy to cutting actions.

We named this one after the Italian word for ribbon, referencing the elegant flow of the flattened bars in the guard. While simple in structure, the broad bars, carved nail and flared quillons offer comprehensive hand-coverage, allowing the wielder to move with confidence in the bind.

A similar bespoke sidesword would come to £1250 plus postage.

Weight: 1190g
Stock: 6mm thick at guard
Total length: 109cm
Blade length: 94cm
Blade width at shoulder: 3cm
Grip length: 8.5cm
Grip and pommel length: 13.5cm
Quillon span: 21cm
Point of Balance: 12.5cm
Right-handed
Sparring-safe edges
Swollen tip

∴ Notes ∴

The hand-forged and heat-treated guard and pommel are polished to a satin shine. The flat quillons flare out at the terminals, with hand-carved fluted detail. The guard also features a hand-decorated diagonal ring and a flared and fluted “nail” for hand protection. The spherical pommel features a deep groove around its centre, accented by hand-carved lines. The custom-sized grip is wrapped first in linen thread, and then in deep brown leather. The blade is accented with a single, deep central fuller.