Partisan
Unknown Artist
late 15th century
Medium
Steel, wood
Dimensions
L. 95 in. (241.3 cm); L. of head 39 3/4 in. (101 cm); W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); Wt. 4 lbs. 15.7 oz. (2259.5 g)
Classification
Shafted Weapons
Culture
Italian
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Accession Number
14.25.209
Art Historical Context
Step into the riveting world of Renaissance warfare with *Partisan*, a masterful late 15th-century shafted weapon Italy, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Arms and Armor. This imposing polearm features a forged steel head measuring nearly 40 inches long, mounted on a wooden shaft totaling 95 inches—perfectly balanced at just under 5 pounds for agile handling by foot soldiers or ceremonial guards. Gifted by William H. Riggs in 1913, it exemplifies the pinnacle of Italian metalworking during a time of fierce city-state rivalries. Crafted in the bustling forges of Renaissance Italy, li...