Cleveland Museum of Art

Partisan

Date

1600s

Medium

steel, gilt, etched and chiselled

Culture

France, 17th century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The partisan, a staff weapon with a symmetrical head, was carried by infantry officers and members of princely bodyguards during the 1600s and 1700s. The large flat surface of the partisan was perfect for displaying coats of arms and with the addition of colorful velvet tassels, was a favored weapon of palace guards who would be splendidly outfitted. A partisan is a type of polearm that consisted of a spearhead mounted on a long shaft, usually wooden, with protrusions on the sides which aided in parrying sword thrusts.

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