The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 23, 2022

Sword

1400s

Germany (?), 15th century

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

Fun Fact

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.

Provenance
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
Citations
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
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
Exhibition history

Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).

Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

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).

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