Sword Pommel
Unknown Artist
16th century
Medium
Bronze, gold
Dimensions
Diam. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm); Wt. 1 oz. (36 g)
Classification
Swords-Accessories
Culture
Italian
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Stephen V. Grancsay, 1942
Accession Number
42.50.158
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 16th-century Italian sword pommel, crafted from bronze inlaid with gold, exemplifies the Renaissance fusion of functionality and artistry in arms and armor. Measuring just 2 1/8 inches in diameter and weighing a mere 1 ounce, it served as the decorative counterweight at the end of a sword hilt. Adorned with motifs of female nudes entwined among plants—evident from its tags—this small accessory reflects the era's humanist revival of classical themes, where the graceful human form celebrated beauty and nature's abundance. In Renaissance Italy, sword fittings like this were status...