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Apr 24, 2020

Battle Axe

late 1500s

Italy, late 16th Century

Steel, inset with copper rosette

Blade: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.); Head: 27.3 cm (10 3/4 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1599

Location

not on view

Did you know?

The haft or wooden handle of this axe is missing.

Description

The axe has been a favorite weapon in Europe for as long as armor has been worn. Although it was useful as a simple tool for chopping, battle axes could become a way of expressing personal style. They could be decorated and embellished without impeding their function. Inset into this axe head is a copper rosette.

Provenance

Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick (1783-1848), Goodrich Court, Wales

-1890

Raol Richards, Rome, Italy

-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. #535 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. 199, H60; Reproduced: Plate XLIII, H60 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 46 archive.org

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 123, p. 168

Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 124, p. 188

Exhibition history

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

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Battle Axe|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1599|year=late 1500s|access-date=26 March 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Battle Axe

Battle Axe

Italy, late 16th Century

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