The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

The Exercise of Armes

The Exercise of Armes

1607

Did You Know?

The depiction of the soldiers in this book inspired Rembrandt when painting his famous The Night Watch.

Description

The Exercise of Armes, published in 1607–8, is one of the most famous manuals of arms. Jacob De Gheyn's book became popular all over Europe and was quickly translated into several languages. Its 117 copper engravings portray the step-by-step sequence for training foot soldiers in the handling of standard weaponry of 17th-century warfare: muskets, matchlock or calivers, and pikes.
  • Jacob de Gheyn II (1565-1629)?, The Hague, Netherlands
    Sir John Claxton (1550-1657), Durham, England
    Sir Henry Edward Bunbury, 7th Baronet (1778–1860), Barton Hall, Bury, Suffolk
    -1898 or 1922
    Possibly Pickering & Chatto in 1898 or E. Parsons, London, 28 October 1922, sold to Thomas Francis Fremantle
    1898 or 1922-
    Thomas Francis Fremantle, Lord Cottesloe (1862-1956), London, England
    November 19, 2019
    (Sale: Sotheby's, London, November 19, 2019, Lot 216)
    2019-2022
    Sokol Books, London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2022-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's (Firm). The Cottesloe Military Library: Formed by Thomas Fremantle, 4rd Lord Cottesloe. 2019. Lot 216 www.sothebys.com
  • {{cite web|title=The Exercise of Armes|url=false|author=Jacob de Gheyn II|year=1607|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.21