Corsesca
Culture
Northern Italian
Dateabout 1600-1620
Mediumsteel, brass, wood, modern velvet
Dimensions249 cm (98 1/16 in.), 4 lb, 4 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.158
DescriptionThrusting tip of diamond section with lugs toward the base; recurved wings sharpened on forward edge. Faceted socket. Knurled staff, the top covered in red velvet.Label TextThe corsesca was a three-pronged variety of infantry spear that was used from the 1400s to the early 1600s. Surviving examples are usually Italian, but the type was known elsewhere in Europe. Some "three-grayned [bladed] staves" are among the items recorded in the 1547 inventory of Henry VIII of England, and were probably used by members of the royal bodyguard.ProvenancePurchased by Museum from American Art Association, Anderson Galleries (NYC) on February 5, 1938 (Offerman Gest sale #4371, lot #26). Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
Not on view
about 1600
