Italy(?) / c. 1540–50
Seven-Flanged Mace
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Seven-Flanged Mace as arms and armor (Italy(?) · c. 1540–50).
In use throughout the middle ages, the mace became increasingly popular in the 1400s and 1500s because edged weapons (such as swords) were ineffective against fully developed plate armor.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as gilded russet steel; with chiseled foliate decoration.
The museum's collection notes: The mace was primarily a weapon for mounted warriors in both actual combat and courtly contests. For this reason it was regarded as a knightly weapon. Arming oneself with a mace had gradually taken on significance among the nobility and commanding officers. It eventually came to be considered a badge of rank, to be carried by its owner in parades and other ceremonial occasions, as this decorated example certainly was.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSeven-Flanged MaceOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.