The poleaxe was the western European equivalent of the halberd and was similarly designed for hacking and stabbing and for piercing armor plates. However, the heads of halberds were constructed in one intergral piece, but the heads of poleaxes were composed from separate elements, held together by rivets. The basic element was the axe blade with a counter-balancing beak. The blade was overlaid by side straps, which in turn would have the apical spike attached. The long side straps reinforced the shaft against being chopped through in combat.
Though the poleaxe was one of the weapons used in the formal duels of foot combats, it was primarily a serious battle arm. In some cities the guards of the city gates were armed with poleaxes; in emergencies, when there was no time to raise the drawbridge, they could hack through the ropes that held up the portcullis, and the grill would drop to block the engrance.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Pollaxe
Date:ca. 1450
Geography:Burgundy
Culture:French, Burgundy
Medium:Steel, wood (oak)
Dimensions:L. 81 7/8 in. (208 cm); L. of head 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm); W. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); Wt. 5 lbs. 7 oz. (2466.4 g)
Classification:Shafted Weapons
Credit Line:Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
Object Number:14.25.302
William H. Riggs, Paris (until 1913; his gift to MMA).
Hagerstown, Md. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 27–March 31, 1955, no. 45.
Newark. Newark Museum Association. "Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 15–September 15, 1955, no. 45.
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. 71.
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. 71.
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. 71.
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. 71.
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. 71.
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. 71.
Hôtel Drouot. Catalogue Descriptif des Armures, Armes Offensives et Défensives, Meubles en Bois Sculpté du Moyen-âge: Composant la Collection de M. E. de Rozière. Paris: Hôtel Drouot, March 19–21, 1860. no.219.
Grancsay, Stephen V., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. Loan Exhibition of Medieval and Renaissance Arms and Armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hagerstown, Md.: Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, February 27–March 31, 1955. p. 15, no. 45.
The 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. 116–17, no. 71, ill.
Mickenberg, David. Songs of Glory: Medieval Art from 900–1500: An Exhibition. Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 1985. p. 391, no. 166.
Part of the decoration design by Jean Cousin the Elder (French, Souci (?) ca. 1490–ca. 1560 Paris (?))
ca. 1555
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