Cleveland Museum of Art

Schiavona Broadsword

Date

early 1700s

Medium

steel, leather, wood, brass

Culture

Italy, Venice

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The schiavona-type broadsword features a complex barred guard that slopes forward. Its name derives from the Italian word for "Slavonic" and refers to the Slavonian corps who served as bodyguards to the Doge of Venice until the end of the Venetian Republic in 1797. Such swords were popular mainly with Venetians. Usually used by the military, a broadsword has a straight, wide, two-edged blade a with basket-shaped guard that helps protect the hand.

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