Calendar Sword Blade

1576

On View

Ancient Greek and Roman, Level 2, South Wing

Calendar Sword Blade: 1 of Collection Gallery

Calendar Sword Blade: 2 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

An etched calendar spanning the years 1576 through 1579 covers both sides of this sword blade. The days of each month correspond to the feast days dedicated to Catholic Saints. Unlike a fragile book, a sturdy sword traveled alongside its owner as an essential piece of equipment and fashion accessory. Adding a calendar to this important and resilient possession allowed the owner to follow the religious cycle of the year and know which saint to pray to for aid or special protection on days when he faced danger. Although this is one of very few calendar sword blades to survive from the late 1500s, it would have been a useful devotional tool and a significant status symbol.

Title Calendar Sword Blade

Artwork Date 1576

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. German

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Steel (hilt is a modern replacement)

Dimensions Overall: 44 1/2 × 11 1/2 × 5 1/4 inches (113 × 29.2 × 13.3 cm) Overall (blade): 35 inches (88.9 cm)

Classification Arms and Armor

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Gift of Ralph R. Hotchkiss

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 56.186

Markings

Marks Maker's mark, on the tang

Provenance

unidentified European collector;
July 27, 1950, (Sotheby & Co., London, England) Fine Armour and Weapons, lot 122;
William Randolph Hearst (New York, New York, USA);
December 4, 1952, sold by (Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, New York, USA) Hearst sale, European Arms & Armor of the XV - XX Century, lot 69;
Ralph R. Hotchkiss (Birmingham, Michigan, USA);
1956-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Catalogue of Fine Armour and Weapons...including the Property of Douglas Gordon, Esq. (and others). Sales. cat., Sotheby and Co. London, 1950, p. 15, no. 122.

European Arms & Armour of the XV - XIX Century from the Collection Formed by the Late William Randolph Hearst. Sales cat., Parke-Bernet Galleries. New York, December 4, 1952, no. 69.

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