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The mace was primarily a weapon for mounted warriors in both actual combat and courtly contests. For this reason it was regarded as a knightly weapon. Arming oneself with a mace had gradually taken on significance among the nobility and commanding officers. It eventually came to be considered a badge of rank, to be carried by its owner in parades and other ceremonial occasions, as this decorated example certainly was.

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Details

  • Title: Seven-Flanged Mace
  • Date Created: c. 1540–50
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 64.5 cm (25 3/8 in.); Head: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.)
  • Provenance: Frank Gair Macomber (1849-1941), Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Arms and Armor
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1589
  • Medium: gilded russet steel; with chiseled foliate decoration
  • Fun Fact: In use throughout the middle ages, the mace became increasingly popular in the 1400s and 1500s because edged weapons (such as swords) were ineffective against fully developed plate armor.
  • Department: Medieval Art
  • Culture: Italy (?), 16th century
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
  • Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
  • Accession Number: 1916.1589

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