Cleveland Museum of Art

Two-Handed Sword

Date

1550–1600

Medium

steel, wood and leather grip; fluted pommel

Culture

Spain, Toledo, second half of 16th Century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.