OK, the discussion on postures that I expected to be a 4-part series is now moving on to part 6. Today we’re going to take a look at what the Vienna Anonymous (VA) author has to say about postures. This is especially relevant for my discussion of the northern Italian system as it supports my approach of viewing the teachings of Fabris and Capoferro as part of the same tradition or system.
Introduction to the VA
The Vienna Anonymous - also known as Della Scherma or MS 381 in the Fürstliche Sammlung des Palais Liechtenstein (Vienna) - is a “detailed explanation of the art of the single rapier”1 closely referencing (and expanding on) the books of Fabris and Capoferro. Effectively, a student or sword master seems to have been writing their own fencing manual and supporting it with references to two or three previously published works. It’s dated to September of 1614, and acts as a kind of contemporary masterclass that pulls from two famous fencing manuals of its day (plus possibly one other that is not named, but only vaguely referenced as L.S.). It is really a goldmine for a more in-depth understanding of the instructions written down by the previous authors. And it’s especially valuable, as it’s a written record of an interpretation of these works by a student of the sword who was studying and fencing at the time that these masters were alive and teaching.
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