"Rowel" Spur
Date1800s
Mediumiron and copper alloy (?)
Dimensions7.5 × 22 cm (2 15/16 × 8 11/16 in.), 10 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.995
DescriptionIron rowel, body of unidentified alloy, perhaps involving copper, silver, and/or nickel. Tulip-shaped heel-plate of flattened rectangular section, the long branches level, & tapering slightly to squared terminals. These fitted with ornate applied strap loops, engraved with floral decoration. Bolster-shaped neck, with pierced base plate carved with rococo shells & 4-petalled flowers in cruciform pattern. Ornate, openwork rowel box carved with scrolling fern-like projections & pointed leaves. Large, flat iron rowel, pierced in a spoke-like fashion, & with 16 large, triangular points & 17 smaller points.Label TextThe rowel spur, with its rotating star-shaped disk, was a medieval invention that first appeared in the 1200s. By the Renaissance it had become the standard form, and was exported to the Americas by European colonists.ProvenanceCollection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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1800s
1700s
