Partisan
Unknown Artist
dated 1767
Medium
Steel, wood, gold, textile, metallic thread
Dimensions
L. 83 1/2 in. (212.1 cm); L. of head 17 in. (43.2 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 10.5 oz. (1658.4 g)
Classification
Shafted Weapons
Culture
British
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1929
Accession Number
29.156.12
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 18th-century British arms with *Partisan*, a striking shafted weapon dated 1767, crafted an unknown artist. This polearm measures an impressive83½ inches in length, with a 17-inch steel head that's both functional and finely wrought. Its wooden shaft is enriched by luxurious materials—gold, textile, and metallic thread—ing at elite craftsmanship that elevates it beyond mere. Historically, partisans like this one evolved from Renaissance battlefield weapons into ceremonial symbols by the mid-1700s, as firearms reshaped warfare. In British culture, such ornate polearms of...