Cleveland Museum of Art
Curb Bit
- Date
- c. 1580–1600
- Medium
- iron with gilt bronze bosses
- Culture
- Italy, late 16th Century
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 95893
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
A well-constructed curb bit was an essential piece of equipment for keeping a powerful battle stallion under control. Like other horse trappings, bits were often elegantly fashioned and ornamented. This example has applied and gilded bosses. A curb bit uses lever action, meaning that it multiplies the pressure applied by the rider.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
- Provenance
- ?-1916: Frank Gair Macomber, Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1916-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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