The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Two-Handed Sword

Two-Handed Sword

1550–1600
Overall: 168.3 cm (66 1/4 in.); Blade: 126.4 cm (49 3/4 in.); Quillions: 35.2 cm (13 7/8 in.); Grip: 41.3 cm (16 1/4 in.); Ricasso: 20.3 cm (8 in.)

Description

The two-handed sword, originally a weapon of war for specialist infantry, is so named because two hands were required to wield it. By the late 1600s, these enormous swords assumed a largely ceremonial or bodyguard function.
  • Baron de Cosson; Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #438
  • Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924. Mentioned: pp. 88-89, E11; Reproduced: Plate XXI, E11 archive.org
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"
  • {{cite web|title=Two-Handed Sword|url=false|author=|year=1550–1600|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1509