Italy, Venice / early 1700s
Schiavona Broadsword
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Schiavona Broadsword as arms and armor (Italy, Venice · early 1700s).
A broadsword is a sword with a straight, wide, two-edged blade and was used by European heavy cavalry through the 1800s.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel and silver wire grip. silver pommel.
The museum's collection notes: The schiavona-type broadsword features a complex barred guard that slopes forward. Its name derives from the Italian word for "Slavonic" and refers to the Slavonian corps who served as bodyguards to the Doge of Venice until the end of the Venetian Republic in 1797. Such swords were popular mainly with the Venetians.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSchiavona BroadswordOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.