The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Sword

Sword

1400s
(?)
steel; wood and leather grip
Overall: 104.2 cm (41 in.); Blade: 87.3 cm (34 3/8 in.); Quillions: 20.3 cm (8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1600
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

The unornamented surfaces and signs of use on this sword and those similar to it lead us to believe that they were used in battle. Despite their utilitarian purpose, the blacksmith added details to the handles and hilts to make them visually appealing.

Description

During medieval times, everyday objects carried deep spiritual meanings. The knight's sword was perceived as the noblest of weapons because its shape symbolized the cross on which Christ died.
  • Franz Thill (1830-1903), Vienna, Austria
    ?-1916
    Frank Gair Macomber, Boston (1849-1941), 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. 559 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. 85, E2; Reproduced: Plate XIX, E2 archive.org
    "Sword." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 11, no. 3 (March 1924): 51-70 Mentioned: P. 62-63; Reproduced: P. 65
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 36 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 129, p. 188
    Louis, William Noel, and Daniel H. Weiss. The Book of Kings: Art, War and the Morgan Library's Medieval Picture Bible. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2002. cat. no. 28, p. 93, 187, fig. 7
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. p. 110, 170, cat. no. 163
  • The Book of Kings: Art, War and the Morgan Library's Medieval Picture Bible. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (organizer) (October 27-December 29, 2002).
    Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Sword|url=false|author=|year=1400s|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1600