The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 9, 2023

Bardiche (Pole Axe)

1500s

Germany or Russia, 16th century

Steel, leather, brass; wood haft

Overall: 178.5 cm (70 1/4 in.); Blade: 14.2 cm (5 9/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1563

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

Hung high on the wall of the Armor Court, this weapon of war, standing almost six feet tall, was sure to intimidate any approaching soldier.

Description

A bardiche is a type of polearm that was used from the 1300s to the 1600s in Europe. Although similar to a halberd it does not have the hook. The shape of the blade can vary but the defining feature is that one end is fastened to the wooden shaft.

Provenance
-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. #442 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. 185, H15; Reproduced: Plate XL, H15 archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 44 archive.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 106, p. 167
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 110, p. 187
Exhibition history

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1563