The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 9, 2023

Hand-and-a-Half Sword

c.1540–80

Germany, 16th century

Steel; wood, leather, sharkskin grip

Overall: 116.8 cm (46 in.); Blade: 94.8 cm (37 5/16 in.); Quillions: 31 cm (12 3/16 in.); Grip: 21 cm (8 1/4 in.)

Gift from the Bascom Little Estate 1974.58

Location

210A Armor Court

Fun Fact

If you are looking for this in the armor court, look up; this sword is part of one of the panoply or decorative arrangements on the wall.

Description

A hand-and-a-half sword is a large sword with a double-edged blade and a long grip that, when necessary, could accommodate both hands to wield it. The grip of this sword is made of sharkskin and has been fitted around a wooden core. On the blade are two yet to be identified marks.

Inscriptions

Inscription

on blade: CEA

Provenance
-1965
Bascom Little (1910-1965), Cleveland, OH
1965-1974
Bascom Little Estate, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1974-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1974.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 62, no. 3 (1975). p. 98, cat. no. 43 www.jstor.org
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998. cat. no. 200, p. 172
Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 133, p. 188
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1974. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11-April 6, 1975).

European Arms and Armor from the Cleveland Museum of Art (Long-term Loan). Birmingham Museum of Art (organizer) (July 1, 1993-July 1, 1995).

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

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1974.58