The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Glaive of Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576

Art Object

A Visit to the Armor Galleries

In the 1920s the Metropolitan began to explore filmmaking as part of its educational program, and in 1924 it released two films about arms and armor. In preparation for this new undertaking, Bashford Dean, the head of the Arms and Armor department, sought the advice of Hollywood professionals D. W. Griffith and John Barrymore. Once the scripts were complete, Dean left most of the actual work to his young assistant curators, Stephen V. Grancsay and Thomas T. Hoopes, who also appear in the films. A Visit to the Armor Galleries was especially popular and includes memorable scenes: a Gothic armor steps out of its vitrine to answer visitors' questions about the collection, a seesaw with a small child on one end and a medieval mail shirt on the other demonstrates the relatively modest weight of armor, and a fully armored knight on horseback gallops through Central Park, with Belvedere Castle (the park's weather station) rising picturesquely in the background. When actor Douglas Fairbanks Sr. viewed the film at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, he pronounced it "bully."

Video/Audio (6)

Dressing in Steel: Part One
(00:37:39) 700 views

Dressing in Steel: Part Two
(00:20:04) 288 views

A Visit to the Armor Galleries
(00:30:21) 4369 views

Bashford Dean and the Creation of the Arms and Armor Department, 1904–1929
(00:30:12) 227 views

The Art of Arms and Armor: Challenges of Research, Display, and Education
(00:33:09) 321 views

Curators, Collectors, and Dealers: The Growth of the Arms and Armor Collection, 1929 to the Present
(00:36:37) 209 views

Glaive of Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576–1612)

Hans Stromair (German, Augsburg, 1524 or 1525–ca. 1583)

Date:: dated 1577
Culture:: German, Augsburg
Medium:: Etched steel, wood, textile
Dimensions:: Length, 100 1/2 in. (255.27 cm) Length of blade, 23 in. (58.42 cm)
Classification:: Shafted Weapons
Credit Line:: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1925
Accession Number:: 25.188.18

This artwork is currently on display in Gallery 371

Description

This staff weapon was carried by the bodyguard of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576–1612).
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Inscription: Inscribed on the blade: the arms of Austria, surmounted by the imperial orb, and above thses, the initial R with a sword and mace on either side and the imperial crown above it. On the opposite side: the imperial crown of Austria beneath the motto AD SIT and the date 1577; Near the lower part of the blade: the number 24 and the initials of the engraver, HS (Hans Stromair of Augsburg).
Provenance

Ex. coll.: Zschille (Christie's 1897; Lot 452); Keasbey (American Art Gallery, Sale Cat. 1925, no. 222, Plate XXII); George D. Pratt.
See also
Who
Hans Stromair (1)
What
Metal (59,619)

Textiles (32,920)

Etching (25,397)

Arms (9,345)

Iron and iron alloy (6,998)

Edged weapons (6,794)

Iron alloy (3,417)

Steel (3,147)

Staff weapons (732)

Glaives (37)
Where
Europe (150,115)

Germany (15,991)

Bavaria (994)

Augsburg (409)
When
A.D. 1400-1600 (20,612)
In the Museum
Arms and Armor (13,089)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Central Europe (including Germany), 1400–1600 A.D.
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A Visit to the Armor Galleries

Glaive of Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576–1612)

Hans Stromair (German, Augsburg, 1524 or 1525–ca. 1583)

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A Visit to the Armor Galleries

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Glaive of Emperor Rudolf II (reigned 1576–1612)

Hans Stromair (German, Augsburg, 1524 or 1525–ca. 1583)

Met Media

Met Kids

Met Store