State Staff Weapon
Unknown Artist
dated 1564
Medium
Steel, wood, gold, textile, metallic thread
Dimensions
L. 99 7/8 in. (253.6 cm); L. of head 27 7/8 in. (70.8 cm); W. 3 in. (7.6 cm); Wt. 5 lb. 9 oz. (2523.1 g)
Classification
Shafted Weapons
Culture
Austrian
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
29.156.8
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 16th-century Austria with this magnificent *State Staff Weapon*, dated 1564. Towering at nearly 100 inches long, this shafted weapon from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms Armor Department exemplifies the grandeur of Renaissance ceremonial arms. Far from a battlefield tool, its imposing steel head—measuring 27 7/8 inches—suggests use by elite guards during state processions or courtly events under the Habsburg Empire, where symbols of power blended martial might with regal splendor. Crafted from steel for the durable blade, a wooden shaft for balance, and la...