Artwork Page for Partisan

Details / Information for Partisan

Partisan

c. 1650

France, 17th century

Medium
steel; round wood haft
Measurements
Blade: 33 cm (13 in.); Haft: 100.5 cm (39 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.31
Public Domain
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Location
210A Armor Court
Print
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Did You Know?

The ceremonial use of staff weapons continues to this day by the Swiss Guards at the Vatican.

Description

The partisan, a staff weapon with a symmetrical head, was carried by infantry officers and members of princely bodyguards during the 1600s and 1700s.
A steel partisan stands vertically, its long, triangular head featuring a raised central ridge. Wide wings branch outward into multiple curved, flame-like spikes. Intricate scrollwork patterns cover the gray metal, which narrows into a cylindrical socket. From this socket, thin metal strips extend down the dark wood handle, secured by small, round studs. A ringed bolster transitions the ornate head to the dark wooden shaft below.

Partisan

c. 1650

France, 17th century

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