Cleveland Museum of Art

Hanger (Hunting Sword)

Jaspar Bongen the Younger

Date

late 1600s

Medium

steel; gold and silver damascened hilt

Culture

Hilt: Italy (?); Blade: Germany, Saxony, late 16th-17th Century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Damascening, the technique of hammering gold and silver wires into grooves cut to receive them, enlivens this sword's hilt. Further texture was added with wires to 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. The swordsmith's mark, a crowned stag visible on the blade below the hilt, is unidentified.

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