Sprezzatura

It's been a bit of a roller coaster of weekend, one way and another.

I've had two days of sword related fun at the Leeds Armouries and at the same time I was worrying about Biddy at home, so now I feel a bit flat. I've got a lot to think about - I managed two workshop sessions, one on Patience and Quickness in Capo Ferra and the other on the Smallsword treatise of William Hope. I've been to lectures on Metallurgy, Interpreting Combat in Medieval literature by analysing descriptions of wounds, Hermetic secrets in Fiore's treatise, handled a two thousand year old Roman gladius and a wickedly sharp and beautiful original small sword. It was an astonishing experience to see two museum curators being given a rapturous round of applause by a crowd of sword obsessives at the last session.

Saturday night was the gala dinner, held in the war gallery of the armouries, with tables being set amongst the exhibits and the various displays of arms and armour. As our society was playing host for the event, most of us had specially made formal uniforms for the night and provided an honour guard of cutlasses as guests crossed a bridge from one side of the galleries to the other. A fantastic and unique experience.

One of my personal highlights of the weekend was Maestro Sinclair's lecture on the concept of Sprezzatura in Renaissance Italy and the Samurai mindset. It was a fascinating insight into a particular state of mind that is difficult to summarize - it encompasses a certain detachment from the emotions and instincts that drive our actions, a sense of honour and an approach to art that appears effortless rather than being forced. It ties in with the patience of Capo Ferra, the judgement of William Hope and the honour of the Samurai. The text of the speech is due to be published later in the year and I am looking forward to reading it properly.

From swash 2007