The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Bardiche (Pole Axe)

Bardiche (Pole Axe)

1500s
steel, leather, brass; wood haft
Overall: 178.5 cm (70 1/4 in.); Blade: 14.2 cm (5 9/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1563
Location: 210A Armor Court

Did You Know?

Hung high on the wall of the Armor Court, this weapon of war, standing almost six feet tall, was sure to intimidate any approaching soldier.

Description

A bardiche is a type of polearm that was used from the 1300s to the 1600s in Europe. Although similar to a halberd it does not have the hook. The shape of the blade can vary but the defining feature is that one end is fastened to the wooden shaft.
  • -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. #442 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. 185, H15; Reproduced: Plate XL, H15 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 44 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 106, p. 167
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 110, p. 187
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Bardiche (Pole Axe)|url=false|author=|year=1500s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1563