The large steel head of this mace is composed of seven triangular flanges etched overall with trophies and scattered elements of armor on a dotted background; the spaces between the flanges are filled with twisted strapwork. The steel cylindrical shaft is hollow, its etched decoration en suite is arranged in four lengthwise bands, the spiral grip also etched en suite. The shaft is pierced just above the grip for a wrist strap. The decoration on this fully gilded mace is in the same style as on an armor in the Metropolitan Museum's collection (acc. no. 14.25.717a–r).
Maces became increasingly popular during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries––a parallel to the use of the war hammer––due to the ineffectiveness of edged weapons against fully developed plate armor. Though the blow of a mace could not penetrate the armor plates, it might be enough to stun or disable an opponent. Maces were used by cavalrymen, and even became a badge of rank, as was certainly the case with this example.
Artwork Details
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Title:Mace
Date:ca. 1575 to 1600
Culture:Italian
Medium:Steel, gold
Dimensions:L. 23 1/16 in. (58.6 cm); L. of head 6 1/2 in. (16.4 cm); W. 4 3/4 in. (12 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 14 oz. (1757.7 g)
Classification:Shafted Weapons
Credit Line:The Collection of Giovanni P. Morosini, presented by his daughter Giulia, 1932
Accession Number:32.75.203
Giovanni Pertinax Morosini, New York (until d. 1908; by descent to his daughter); Giulia Pertinax Morosini, New York (1908–d. 1932; her bequest to MMA).
Los Angeles. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," January 15–March 18, 1953, no. 111.
San Francisco. California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 18–June 7, 1953, no. 111.
Pittsburgh. Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute. "Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 1953–April 1954, no. 111.
Seattle, Wash. Seattle Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," March 11, 1982–June 6, 1982, no. 86.
Denver, Colo. Denver Art Museum. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," July 18–October 10, 1982, no. 86.
San Antonio, Tex. Witte Museum of the San Antonio Museum Association. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 13, 1982–February 5, 1983, no. 86.
Minneapolis, Minn. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 24–July 31, 1983, no. 86.
San Francisco. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 5, 1983–January 28, 1984, no. 86.
Detroit, Mich. Detroit Institute of Arts. "The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 4–June 17, 1984, no. 86.
Grancsay, Stephen V. Loan Exhibition of Mediaeval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1953. p. 28, no. 111.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Helmut Nickel, Stuart W. Pyhrr, Leonid Tarassuk, and American Federation of Arts. The Art of Chivalry: European Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: An Exhibition. New York: The Federation, 1982. pp. 128–29, no. 86, ill.
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