Halberd for the Guard of Emperor Maximilian II

Description The blade is etched with plant designs surrounding the crowned double-headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece (a military order established by the dukes of Burgundy, revered ancestors of the Habsburgs), and the Latin motto "The Lord will provide." This halberd, dated 1571, is one of those produced for members of the imperial bodyguard on the occasion of the wedding of Archduke Karl II of Austria (brother of Emperor Maximilian II and uncle of Archduke Albert).

Provenance Guard of Emperor Maximilian II (1527-1576); Haden Sale, April 26, 1911, no. 249 (?); Sale, American Art Association, New York, November 14, 1921, no. 103; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1921 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Transcription] "The Lord will provide."

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1921