The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 28, 2023

Two-Handed Sword

1550–1600

Germany, second half of 16th Century

Steel; leather and wood grip, cloth-covered middle

Overall: 191.5 cm (75 3/8 in.); Blade: 144.8 cm (57 in.); Quillions: 41.5 cm (16 5/16 in.); Grip: 40.7 cm (16 in.); Ricasso: 33.4 cm (13 1/8 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1919.68

Location

210A Armor Court

Description

The two-handed sword, originally a weapon of war for specialist infantry, is so named because two hands were required to wield it. By the late 1600s, these enormous swords assumed a largely ceremonial or bodyguard function.

Provenance
Purchased at Offerman Sale; February 1919; cat. #423.
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. 104, E45 archive.org
Exhibition history

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

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1919.68