Prick Spur
Unknown Artist
first half 14th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
L. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); W. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); Wt. 3.6 oz. (102.1 g)
Classification
Equestrian Equipment-Spurs
Culture
possibly Italian
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bashford Dean, 1923
Accession Number
23.192.7
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of medieval chivalry with this *Prick Spur*, a crafted piece of equestrian equipment from the first of the 14th. Measuring 5½ inches long and weighing just 3.6 ounces, this copper alloy spur was strapped to a rider's boot to urge a horse forward with its central prick—a pointed projection that predates the wheeled rowels of later designs. Attributed to an unknown artist, possibly Italian, it exemplifies the practical yet elegantly functional tools of the knightly class. In the Arms and Armor Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this spur highlights the era's marti...