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Seven-Flanged Mace
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The mace was primarily a weapon for mounted warriors in both actual combat and courtly contests. For this reason it was regarded as a knightly weapon. Arming oneself with a mace had gradually taken on significance among the nobility and commanding officers. It eventually came to be considered a badge of rank, to be carried by its owner in parades and other ceremonial occasions, as this decorated example certainly was.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineSeven-Flanged Mace, c. 1540–50. Italy (?), 16th century. Gilded russet steel; with chiseled foliate decoration; overall: 64.5 cm (25 3/8 in.); head: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1589
