Battleaxe
Culture
Swiss
Dateprobably 1600s
Mediumsteel and wood
Dimensions201.9 × 27.3 × 29.2 cm (79 1/2 × 10 3/4 × 11 1/2 in.), 5 lb, 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
MarkingsObverse face of axe blade with stamped maker's mark of cross arising from arc within which is raised pellet, the whole within necked shield-shaped recess.
What may be a serial mark consisting of group of 3 punched dots is on back of staff near head.
Red painted HAM# 3038.1 under base of langet
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.240
DescriptionTall axehead with convex cutting edge & rising into acute point above & bluntly pointed below. Back edges unsharpened & flat. Opposed by straight, pointed stout fluke integral with socket & axehead. Head fits over end of long octagonal section wooden staff with pair of strong steel langets, front & rear.Label TextThe footsoldiers of the Swiss confederacy won their independence from the knightly armies of Austria with through disciplined tactics and simple weapons designed to negate knightly armor. The stout blade and piercing beak of this battleaxe allude to medieval weapons, although by the time this example was made its purpose was more symbolic than military.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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