id:			95875
accession number:	1916.1554
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1554
updated:		2023-03-03 07:01:10.900000

Halberd, 1600s. Switzerland, 17th century. Steel; rectangular wood haft with planed corners; overall: 160 cm (63 in.); blade: 19.3 cm (7 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1554

title:				Halberd
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1600s
creation date earliest:		1600
creation date latest:		1699
current location:		210A Armor Court
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
copyright:			

---

culture:	Switzerland, 17th century
technique:	steel; rectangular wood haft with planed corners
department:	Medieval Art
collection:	MED - Arms & Armor
type:		Arms and Armor
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

---

CREATORS

---

measurements: Overall: 160 cm (63 in.); Blade: 19.3 cm (7 5/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

---

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Armor Court Reinstallation
	opening date:   1998-09-10T00:00:00
	<i>Armor Court Reinstallation</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

---

LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

---

PROVENANCE

	Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?-1916
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1916-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


---

fun fact:
By the mid-1500s halberds started to change in appearance; elements were exaggerated to become more ornamental.

digital description:


wall description:
The halberd was a staff weapon favored by European infantries (foot soldiers) of the 1400s and 1500s for its versatility and deadly effect. The word halberd comes from the German words Halm (staff) and Barte (axe). The halberd is, in fact, an axe that served multiple functions: the axe blade was used for hacking, the spike for thrusting, and the beak for piercing plate armor or for pulling a knight from his saddle. The halberd was used by shock troops (those who lead an attack) and by Swiss and German mercenaries. After about 1550, the halberd gradually became less functional. Its large blade provided space for coats of arms and insignia. By the late 1500s, the parade halberd had become a ceremonial weapon for palace guards.
---

RELATED WORKS

---

CITATIONS

	<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour.</em> Vol. 1, <em>14th &amp; 15th centuries. </em>[Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915].
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: No. 3
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour1/page/n34

	Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms &amp; Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923</em>. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 186, H18
	url:		https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n267

	Fliegel, Stephen N.<em> Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
	page number: 	pp. 67, 129, 167; cat. no.101
	url:		

	Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms &amp; Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
	page number: 	cat. no. 104, p. 187
	url:		

---

IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1554/1916.1554_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1554/1916.1554_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1554/1916.1554_full.tif