Officer's Plug Bayonette
Unknown Artist
c.1690
Medium
steel serrated blade, brass, and wood
Dimensions
l. 46.6 cm · blade: l. 30.2 cm
Classification
Arms and Armor
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
Accession Number
1916.1659
About this artwork
Used increasingly in warfare during the 1600s, the plug bayonet was inserted into the muzzle of a gun to make a weapon with a long shaft. This eventually made the use of pikemen in warfare obsolete as the new musketeer could now continue after having run out of shots.