Italy, Venice / 1700s
Schiavona Broadsword
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Schiavona Broadsword as arms and armor (Italy, Venice · 1700s).
This sword has what is known as a "cat's head" pommel, a spherical knob that serves as a counterweight at the opposite end of the sword from the point.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel, brass, leather and wood.
The museum's collection notes: This broadsword or basket-hilted sword is a type that was often carried by the bodyguards of the Doge of Venice who came from the Dalmatian Coast of present-day Croatia and were then called Schavoni in Venice. The complex barred guard slopes forward and protects the hand.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSchiavona BroadswordOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.