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Partisan of the Bodyguard of Paris, Count Lodron, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (r. 1619-53)
Partisan of the Bodyguard of Paris, Count Lodron, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (r. 1619-53)
Image © Worcester Art Museum, all rights reserved.

Partisan of the Bodyguard of Paris, Count Lodron, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (r. 1619-53)

Culture
Datedated 1620
Mediumsteel, wood and brass
Dimensions214.6 × 24.1 cm (84 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.), 5 lb,13 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Markingsincised "XXI" carved into haft. Other number A1320.
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.128
DescriptionTall broad double edge thrusting blade of hollow ground octagonal section, edges tapering to triangular point. Pair of large pointed lugs at base of blade cusped above and below. Octagonal section closed socket with banded knop at base of head & turned molding below. Base of socket with pair of keyed-in langets fastened to original wooden staff of octagonal section tapering slightly to butt. Nailed to staff at base of head is gold coin. Above and below this are carved "X"'s and below lower is "4". Both faces of head etched with symmetrical decoration including Arms of Cardinal Lodron at center above which is foliation and strapwork. Lugs are covered with foliation and have date "16/20". All ground is stippled and blackened.
Label TextThe archbishop of Salzburg also served as ruler of what is now the Austrian state of Salzburg. Like other rulers of the day, this "prince-bishop" maintained a bodyguard, for both protection and social status. These guards were outfitted with uniform clothing and arms. This partisan would have been carried by an officer, and it bears Lodron's coat of arms, topped by a cardinal's hat to signify his status in the church. But this weapon probably never saw action: while the Thirty Years' War was killing millions of people in the region, Lodron was able to keep Salzburg peaceful, even founding what is today the University of Salzburg.ProvenancePrevious collections number indicates weapon was once in the Bavarian Army Museum, previously located in Munich, Germany (not later than 1945), now in Ingolstadt. (WJK) Mackay collection (#J-49) Purchased by Museum from Gimbel Brothers (NYC) on October 31, 1941. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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