The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 6, 2019

Bill

c. 1480

Italy, 15th century

Steel, wood haft

Overall: 184.8 cm (72 3/4 in.); Blade: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1835

Location

210A Armor Court

Description

This weapon known as the "bill" was developed from an agricultural tool. Used throughout Western Europe, it was particularly popular in Italy and England where it served as an equivalent to the Central European halberd.

Provenance
Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #373.
Citations
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. 181-182, H3; Reproduced: Plate XL, H3 archive.org
Exhibition history

The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"

The Walters Art Museum (10/27/2002 - 12/29/2002): "The Book of Kings: Art, War and the Morgan Library's Medieval Picture Bible", exh. cat. #33, 189, fig. 8, p. 94.

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007) and the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

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 (organizer) (October 27-December 29, 2002).

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008).

Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1835