Creative Commons License
Two-Handed Sword
A two-handed sword could span up to 6 ft. in length. It was initially a specialized weapon for the infantry, used for cutting or thrusting, to penetrate the enemy's front line. After the introduction of firearms to the battlefield by the end of the 1500s, the role of the two-handed sword was generally limited to the ceremonial use of bodyguards and civic militia.
The maker's mark on the blade is similar to ones used by bladesmiths in Munich.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Schloss Mainberg, near Kitzingen; Sale, Rudolph Lepke, Baden-Baden, 1901, no. 73; Henry Griffith Keasbey, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, American Art Association, New York, December 5-6, 1924, no. 89; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1924 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/5/1958 | Treatment | other |
Geographies
Germany, Munich (Place of Origin)
Measurements
75 7/8 in. (192.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1924
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
51.1335