Executioner's Sword
Unknown Artist
late 1600s
Medium
steel, wood, brass and copper wire
Dimensions
{"overall":{"length":1.089},"blade":{"length":0.857},"quillions":{"width":0.225},"grip":{"length":0.15}}
Classification
Arms and Armor
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
Accession Number
1916.1620
About this artwork
Execution by decapitation was generally reserved for the nobility during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Although the axe was favored in England, for centuries swords were used throughout Central Europe. The blades were often etched with moralizing inscriptions and designs representing Justice (as here), the gallows, the rack, or the Crucifixion. By the early 1700s swords were no longer primarily used in Europe for executions, but they still functioned as symbols of power. This sword was probab...