The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Sword

c.1550

Italy, 16th century

steel, hilt russetted, leather grip
Overall: 100 cm (39 3/8 in.); Blade: 87 cm (34 1/4 in.); Quillions: 6.3 cm (2 1/2 in.); Grip: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1715
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

There are three unidentified marks inlaid on the ricasso or the unsharpened blade just above the guard.

Description

The hilt of this sword is russeted, a decorative technique popular in France and England that imparts a brownish color to the surface of the metal. It was achieved by a chemical process that involved treating the steel surface with a mild corrosive medium. As an added benefit the process also helps protect against rust.
  • Charles Alexander, Baron de Cosson (1843-1929), England
    -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. #446 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. 94, E24; Reproduced: Plate XXIII, E24 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 37 archive.org
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 182, p. 171
    Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 130, p. 188
  • Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
  • {{cite web|title=Sword|url=false|author=|year=c.1550|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1715