Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Ax (Berdiche or Balta)

ca. 1500
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 379
This ax, with its long, faceted steel shaft and distinctively shaped blade, is typical of those carried by the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria in the late fifteenth to early sixteenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ax (Berdiche or Balta)
  • Date: ca. 1500
  • Culture: Syrian or Egyptian
  • Medium: Steel
  • Dimensions: L. 36 1/4 in. (92.08 cm); W. 6 3/4 in. (17.0 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 1 oz. (1378 g)
  • Classification: Shafted Weapons
  • Credit Line: Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
  • Object Number: 36.25.1829
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
Armor for Man and Horse, Steel, leather, Syrian, Iranian, and Turkish
Armor for Man and Horse
Syrian, Iranian, and Turkish
comprehensively ca. 1450–1550
Standard Head, Steel, iron, Egyptian or Syrian
Standard Head
Egyptian or Syrian
ca. 1500–1511
Horseman’s Ax of Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici (1511–1535), Steel, gold, wood, Italian
Horseman’s Ax of Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici (1511–1535)
Italian
ca. 1530–35
Helmet (Sallet), Steel, iron, gold, silver, cloisonné enamel, leather, textile, Spanish, possibly Granada
Helmet (Sallet)
Spanish, possibly Granada
late 15th–early 16th century
Lance Head, Steel, gold, Syrian or Egyptian
Lance Head
Syrian or Egyptian
ca. 1500

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.