Partisan
Unknown Artist
ca. 1620
Medium
Steel, wood, iron, textile, metallic thread
Dimensions
L. 90 in. (228.5 cm); L. of head 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm); W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); Wt. 6 lbs. 5 oz. (2863.3 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
14.25.372
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 17th-century Italian warfare with *Partisan*, a striking shafted weapon crafted around 1620. Standing an impressive 90 inches (228.5 cm) tall and weighing over 6 pounds, this polearm features a broad steel head measuring 19.5 inches long, on a wooden shaft reinforced with iron fittings. Delicate accents of textile and metallic thread a touch of elegance, while a coat of arms etched or applied to the blade hints at its noble or military provenance. Partisans like this one were versatile weapons in Renaissance and early Baroque Europe, wielded by infantry in pike formatio...