War Hammer
Unknown Artist
15th century
Medium
Steel, wood (oak)
Dimensions
L. 79 7/8 in. (202.9 cm); L. of head 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); W. 9 5/8 in. (24.5 cm); Wt. 7 lbs. 8 oz. (2608.2 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
14.25.465
Art Historical Context
Step into the riveting world of 15th Italian warfare with this formidable *War Hammer*, a masterwork of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor collection.ed by an unknown artist around the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance, this shafted weapon exemplifies the era's martial ingenuity. Standing nearly 80 inches long with a hefty 7.5-pound weight, its steel head—measuring about 8.5 inches long and 9.6 inches wide—is mounted on a sturdy oak shaft, balancing lethality with maneuverability for mounted or foot combatants. The construction highlights exceptional metallurgical and woodwor...