Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Roncone

ca. 1500
Not on view
The extraordinarily large head of the bill consists of a long, double-edged thrusting blade emerging from a body, which has on one side a cutting edge changing into a strongly curved hook, and on its back a sharp spike standing out at right angles. Two short spikes at the base of the blade serve as a guard. A simple ornament of dots and crescent lines is stamped along the back.

The bill is a weapon developed from an agricultural tool, the pruning hook, with which a farmer would lop off unwanted branches on his fruit tress. It was particularly popular in western European countries, where it was one of the equivalents of the halberd in central Europe. In England the call to arms was "Bills and Bows," for spearmen and archers. It seems to have been one of the few types of polearms that the Spanish conquistadores and the early English colonists used in the New World.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Roncone
  • Date: ca. 1500
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: Steel, wood (ash)
  • Dimensions: L. 97 1/2 in. (247.7 cm); L. of head 35 in. (88.9 cm); W. 11 3/8 in. (28.9 cm); Wt. 4 lbs. 13 oz. (2182.9 g)
  • Classification: Shafted Weapons
  • Credit Line: Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913
  • Object Number: 14.25.159
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Double-Barrel Breech-Loading Pinfire Shotgun, J. C. A. Brun French, Steel, wood (walnut), gold, French, Paris
Double-Barrel Breech-Loading Pinfire Shotgun
Multiple artists/makers
dated 1866
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, Steel, copper, gold, glass, pigment, textile, Italian
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
Italian
ca. 1475–80
Colt Third Model Dragoon Percussion Revolver, serial no. 12406, Samuel Colt American, Steel, brass, gold, wood (walnut), American, Hartford, Connecticut
Colt Third Model Dragoon Percussion Revolver, serial no. 12406
Manufacturer Samuel Colt
ca. 1853
Armor, Steel, copper alloy, textile, leather, Italian
Armor
Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later

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.