Spear
Culture
Italian
Date1500s
Mediumsteel, wood, brass and fabric
Dimensions5.5 × 247 cm (2 3/16 × 97 1/4 in.), 3 lb, 2 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsMillrind mark on both faces of blade, see digital file.
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.239
DescriptionTriangular head of flat lozenge section tapering into long thrusting tip of square cross-section. Below blade is a balustered socket, 8-faceted below with rings of punched and chased decoration around the top, mid, and base of the socket. Long octagonal staff slightly tapering at the top, with alternating domed and floral brass nails at upper end. Spiked butt-cap.Label TextThe spear is one of the oldest, simplest, cheapest, and most effective weapons used by human beings. This example retains a trace of a flaring base, but its most important part is the stout, elongated point, designed for penetrating the gaps in plate armor without breaking off.ProvenanceGift to Higgins Armory Museum from Worcester Art Museum (Worcester, MA) on June 19, 1947. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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