The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Corsèque (Chauve-Souris)

Corsèque (Chauve-Souris)

c. 1530
steel; round wood haft with leather straps
Overall: 183.5 cm (72 1/4 in.); Blade: 22.2 cm (8 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1802
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

The corsèque is said to have originated in Corsica, from where it takes its name.

Description

The corsèque is a pole arm with a symmetrical three-pronged head consisting of a central double-edged blade and two sharp, upturned wings. The side blades served several functions: as guard to protect the soldier's hand when a thrust was delivered with the central blade; as a hook for unseating a mounted opponent; and to trip the opponent's horse. The corsèque was used mostly in Italy and France from the 1400s to the early 1600s.
  • Richard Zschille (1847-1903, Leipzig, Germany
    ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900. cat. no. 367 archive.org
    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: p. 187, H20 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. pp. 127, 168; cat. no. 113
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 109, p. 187
    Dobson, Chris. Beaten Black and Blue: The Myth of the Medieval Knight in Shining Armour. Sant'Albano Stura, Italy: Chris Dobson, 2023. Reproduced: p. 61, fig. 63
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Corsèque (Chauve-Souris)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1530|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1802