The mace is one of civilization’s oldest known weapons and was often used in the Islamic world as a symbol of power and authority. This heavy but finely chiseled example may have served either as a utilitarian arm or as a ceremonial object, perhaps as a commander’s baton.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Mace
Date:probably 18th century
Culture:North Indian or possibly Deccan
Medium:Steel, gold, silk
Dimensions:L. 25 in. (63.5 cm); Diam. of head 3 1/4 in. (8.1 cm); Wt. 2 lb. 11 oz. (1232 g)
Classification:Shafted Weapons
Credit Line:Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Accession Number:36.25.1874
[William Ockelford Oldman, London, before 1935; sold to Stone]; George Cameron Stone, New York (by 1934–d. November 18, 1935; his bequest to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arms and Armor from the Islamic World," February 10, 2016–December 3, 2017, no. 101.
Christie, Manson & Woods. Catalogue of The Collection of Arms and Armour and Objects of Art Formed by Sir Guy Francis Laking, Bart. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, April 19–22, 1920. lot 356.
Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Portland, ME: Southworth Press, 1934. p. 422, fig. 533.20.
Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. New York: Jack Brussel, Pub., 1961. p. 422, fig. 533.20.
Stone, George Cameron, and Donald J. La Rocca. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1999. p. 422, fig. 533.20.
Grancsay, Stephen V. "The George C. Stone Bequest: Indian and Persian Arms and Armor." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, (July 1937), pp. 169–70, fig. 2.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. pp. 182–83, fig. 63.23 (incorrectly identified with acc. no. 36.25.1883).
Mohamed, Bashir. L'Art des Chevaliers en Pays d'Islam: Collection de la Furusiyya Art Foundation. Milan: Skira, 2007. p. 256, no. 246, ill.
Mohamed, Bashir. The Arts of the Muslim Knight: The Furusiyya Art Foundation Collection. Milan: Skira, 2008. p. 256, no. 246, ill.
Alexander, David, Stuart W. Pyhrr, and Will Kwiatkowski. Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015. pp. 243–44, no. 101, ill.
Reddy, Ravinder. Arms & Armour of India, Nepal & Sri Lanka: Types, Decoration and Symbolism. London: Hali Publications Limited, 2018. p. 118, ill.
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