The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 6, 2023

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

Fun Fact

There are three unidentified marks inlaid on the <em>ricasso</em> 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.

Provenance
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
Citations
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
Exhibition history

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

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