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Thrusting Sword (Estoc)

A work made of steel, brass, wood, and leather.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of steel, brass, wood, and leather.

Date:

c.1520—c.1540

Artist:

German

About this artwork

Stiff-bladed swords or estocs were designed to pierce through the joints or gaps of plate armor. They were often kept on the front of the saddle of a well-equipped man-at-arms and used as an auxiliary weapon in addition to an arming sword, war hammer, or mace.

This example with its crutch-shaped pommel (top end) is a rare type. This unusual device may have been designed to help wedge the back end of the sword hilt into the user’s elbow or upper arm while holding the blade with two hands and pressing the point through a pinned opponent’s armor.

Status

On View, Gallery 239

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Thrusting Sword (Estoc)

Place

Germany (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 1525–1550

Medium

Steel, brass, wood, and leather

Dimensions

Overall L. 130 cm (51 3/16 in.) Blade L. 108.5 cm (42 3/4 in.) Wt. 3 lb. 6 oz.

Credit Line

George F. Harding Collection

Reference Number

1982.2120

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/106214/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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