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Seven-Flanged Mace
c. 1540–50
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
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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