Halberd for the Bodyguard of Carlos IV of Spain (1748-1819)
Culture
Spanish
Datedated 1789
Mediumchased and engraved iron, wood
Dimensions219 × 47 cm (86 1/4 × 18 1/2 in.), 4 lb, 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsObverse of blade with royal arms and Order of Golden Fleece; fluke with "AÑO DE 1789". Reverse with arms and "CARLOS IIII".
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.136
DescriptionOctagonal shaft with turned & molded six-stage socket and turned knop above. One-piece axeblade & fluke passes through slot in socket and held by two rivets. Crescentic axe with concave cutting edge, and twice cusped on edges above and below. Large fluke similarly cusped downturned at end. Apical elongated leaf-shaped thrusting blade with undulating edges to spear point. Perimeter of both faces with thin etched and blackened lines. Base of socket with 4 long langets nailed to restored wooden circular section staff without butt cap.Label TextBy 1700, halberds were primarily ceremonial weapons, since guns were the preferred tools of warfare. This halberd’s concave axe blade, slender spearpoint and blunt hook would have been of limited use in a fight. This weapon is a holdover from an earlier age—ironically, much like King Carlos himself, who lost his throne in 1808 in the face of Napoleon’s modernized military power.ProvenancePurchased by John W. Higgins on February 11, 1928 from Anderson Galleries (NY), sale no. 2232, lot no. 337. Given to the Museum on July 1, 1954. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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