Halberd
- Artist Culture
- German
- Date
- late 15th or possibly 17th century
- Material
- Steel and wood
- Classification
- Arms & armor, metalwork
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 138
- Dimensions
- 80 3/4 x 7 1/4 x 1 1/8 in. (205.1 x 18.4 x 2.9 cm)
weight: 3 lb. 7 oz. (1.6 kg) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 67:1939
NOTES
Staff weapons, popularly called polearms, were the most typical infantry weapons until well into the 16th century. Most staff weapons evolved from agricultural or everyday tools modified for military use and simply fastened to long wooden staves. All polearms require the use of both hands and were used exclusively on foot, except for the long spear called a lance, which was used from horseback. Staff weapons were used by commoners and professional soldiers in battle, by knights in armored sporting combats, and by bodyguards of royalty. Like many other arms, staff weapons assumed a primarily ceremonial role by the mid-17th century.
Provenance
- 1848
Civic Arsenal, Munich, Germany [1]
William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), Beverly Hills, CA, USA
- 1939
Parish-Watson & Co. Inc., New York, NY
1939 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Parish-Watson & Co., Inc [2]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the Parish-Watson invoice dated June 30, 1939 [SLAM document files]. It lists twenty-one objects (including 67:1939) and identifies them as previously belonging to the William Randolph Hearst collection. The relationship between Hearst and Parish-Watson is unknown. 67:1939 is designated on the invoice as lot 624 art. 43. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] This provenance is based on a mark of monk's head impressed on the blade which, according to scholar Walter Karcheski Jr., identifies the halberd with the Civic Arsenal in Munich. Karcheski adds that 67:1939 was probably removed from there during the storming of the building in March of 1848 [SLAM document files].
[2] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 8, 1939.
Civic Arsenal, Munich, Germany [1]
William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), Beverly Hills, CA, USA
- 1939
Parish-Watson & Co. Inc., New York, NY
1939 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Parish-Watson & Co., Inc [2]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the Parish-Watson invoice dated June 30, 1939 [SLAM document files]. It lists twenty-one objects (including 67:1939) and identifies them as previously belonging to the William Randolph Hearst collection. The relationship between Hearst and Parish-Watson is unknown. 67:1939 is designated on the invoice as lot 624 art. 43. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] This provenance is based on a mark of monk's head impressed on the blade which, according to scholar Walter Karcheski Jr., identifies the halberd with the Civic Arsenal in Munich. Karcheski adds that 67:1939 was probably removed from there during the storming of the building in March of 1848 [SLAM document files].
[2] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 8, 1939.