The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Schiavona Broadsword

Schiavona Broadsword

1700s
steel, brass, leather and wood
Overall: 100.3 cm (39 1/2 in.); Blade: 84.4 cm (33 1/4 in.); Grip: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.); Guard: 14.8 cm (5 13/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.698
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

This sword has what is known as a "cat's head" pommel, a spherical knob that serves as a counterweight at the opposite end of the sword from the point.

Description

This broadsword or basket-hilted sword is a type that was often carried by the bodyguards of the Doge of Venice who came from the Dalmatian Coast of present-day Croatia and were then called Schavoni in Venice. The complex barred guard slopes forward and protects the hand.
  • 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. #360 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. 116-117, E69; Reproduced: Plate XXX, E69 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 130, p. 169
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 171, p. 191
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    European Arms and Armor from the Cleveland Museum of Art (Long-term Loan). Birmingham Museum of Art (organizer) (July 1, 1993-July 1, 1995).
  • {{cite web|title=Schiavona Broadsword|url=false|author=|year=1700s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.698