Glaive (with Arms of Giustini Family) (c. 1600–1620): Art, History and Details

Glaive (with Arms of Giustini Family) (c. 1600–1620) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

A glaive is a long staff weapon with a large cleaver or knife-like blade. The flat steel blade is conducive to ornamental decoration such as heraldic devices. The decorative nature of this weapon made it a favorite for ceremonial use.

Object facts

• Title: Glaive (with Arms of Giustini Family)
• Date: c. 1600–1620
• Culture: Italy, Venice
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: steel, etched; wood haft
• Dimensions: Overall: 184.5 cm (72 5/8 in.); Blade: 15.2 cm (6 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1916.1532

A detail from the museum

The large number of surviving glaives that are decorated with the arms of Venetian families indicate its popularity in the city of Venice.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900.
• Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
• Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.