CC0 · no rights reserved
Two-Handed Sword
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The two-handed sword, originally a weapon of war for specialist infantry, is so named because two hands were required to wield it. By the late 1600s, these enormous swords assumed a largely ceremonial or bodyguard function.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineTwo-Handed Sword, 1550–1600. Germany, second half 16th Century. Steel, leather and wood grip, bronze pommel; overall: 170.5 cm (67 1/8 in.); blade: 125.6 cm (49 7/16 in.); quillions: 53.7 cm (21 1/8 in.); grip: 43.2 cm (17 in.); ricasso: 34.7 cm (13 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1919.70
