Poleax

c.1470—c.1520

Western European

The poleax—so named whether it has an ax- or hammerhead—was designed to smash, break, or pierce through armor. It could be mounted either with a long or short staff. It was used in infantry battle, knightly tournaments, and judicial combat. The blunted hook, hammerhead, and point on the short poleax suggest it was meant for foot tournaments, friendly contests in which blows were exchanged.

Status: On View, Gallery 239
Department: Applied Arts of Europe

Title: Poleax
Place: Western Europe (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1450–1530
Medium: Steel, brass, wood, and leather
Dimensions: H.: 121.8 cm (48 in.)
Credit Line: George F. Harding Collection
Reference Number: 1982.2111
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/106205/manifest.json

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.