The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 4, 2023

Pricked Spur

1200s

Spain, 13th century

Steel

Overall: 14.9 x 7.9 cm (5 7/8 x 3 1/8 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1604

Location

210A Armor Court

Description

The spur was an essential part of the knight's equipment. Fastened to his heels by means of straps and buckles, it was used to prod a horse into action. These examples represent the oldest type recorded, the "pricked" spur, so-called because its neck terminated in a spike. The pricked spur was replaced during the Middle Ages by the "rowel" spur, with a rotating spiked wheel.

Provenance
Thill; Vienna; Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #527.
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. 233, J6 archive.org
Exhibition history

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

Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1604