Hanger (Hunting Sword)
Hilt: Italy (?); Blade: Germany, Saxony, late 16th-17th Century
Steel; gold and silver damascened hilt
Support: Damascened hilt
Overall: 73 cm (28 3/4 in.); Blade: 57.7 cm (22 11/16 in.); Quillions: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1629
210A Armor Court
The swordsmith's mark, a crowned stag visible on the blade below the hilt, is unidentified.
Damascening, the technique of hammering gold and silver wires into grooves cut to receive them, enlivens this sword's hilt. The texture would also improve the user's grip, which allowed him to hunt with more control and accuracy. Hunting was a popular sport among the wealthy and many nobles owned tracts of forest, but peasants were prohibited from hunting on these lands.
"1553" (Presumed to be a commemorative date)
Charles Alexander, Baron de Cosson (1843-1929), England
?-1890
Raoul Richards, Rome, Italy
Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Catalogue of Arms and Armour. Vol. 2, 16th century. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915]. Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (98) 101 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. 105, E46; Reproduced: Plate XXVI, E46 archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Helen Ives Gilchrist. Handbook of the Severance Collection of Arms and Armor. 2d ed., 1948. Reproduction: p. 38 archive.org
Armor Court Reinstallation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1629