Ask the Scholar

Page 1 of 1
I can add historical knowledge about this page.

Page image

Page 1

Document source description

The "pillow-sword" is so-named because of where it was kept. A sword like this one, with a straight blade and relatively simple hilt, would have been suspended above a headboard within arm's reach for bedside defense should an intruder attack while the household was asleep and vulnerable.

Page data

Page
1
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
03f5ccb981236ddf
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
95807
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
{
    "id": "95807",
    "contentType": "object",
    "title": "Pillow Sword",
    "description": "The \"pillow-sword\" is so-named because of where it was kept. A sword like this one, with a straight blade and relatively simple hilt, would have been suspended above a headboard within arm's reach for bedside defense should an intruder attack while the household was asleep and vulnerable.",
    "date": "c. 1650",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1495",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "wikidata": [
        "Q60762489"
    ],
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Arms and Armor"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "source": "import",
    "dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 93 cm (36 5/8 in.); Blade: 77.8 cm (30 5/8 in.); Quillions: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.)",
    "cul": [
        "Italy, 17th century"
    ],
    "accession": "1916.1495"
}

Context sent to Scholar

Document identity
{
    "localId": "95807",
    "label": "Pillow Sword",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object"
}
Document source metadata
{
    "id": "95807",
    "contentType": "object",
    "title": "Pillow Sword",
    "description": "The \"pillow-sword\" is so-named because of where it was kept. A sword like this one, with a straight blade and relatively simple hilt, would have been suspended above a headboard within arm's reach for bedside defense should an intruder attack while the household was asleep and vulnerable.",
    "date": "c. 1650",
    "citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1495",
    "rights": "CC0",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "wikidata": [
        "Q60762489"
    ],
    "genreSpecific": [
        "Arms and Armor"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "imageCount": 1,
    "source": "import",
    "dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 93 cm (36 5/8 in.); Blade: 77.8 cm (30 5/8 in.); Quillions: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.)",
    "cul": [
        "Italy, 17th century"
    ],
    "accession": "1916.1495"
}
Document source extras
{
    "tec": "steel, pierced; leather and wood",
    "tombstone": "Pillow Sword, c. 1650. Italy, 17th century. Steel, pierced; leather and wood; overall: 93 cm (36 5/8 in.); blade: 77.8 cm (30 5/8 in.); quillions: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1495",
    "collection": "MED - Arms & Armor",
    "citations": [
        {
            "citation": "<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour.</em> Vol. 2, <em>16th century. </em>[Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915].",
            "page_number": "Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (81) 83",
            "url": "https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour2_201602/page/n322"
        },
        {
            "citation": "Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms &amp; Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923</em>. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.",
            "page_number": "Mentioned: p. 115, E66",
            "url": "https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n176"
        }
    ],
    "url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1495",
    "creditline": "Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance",
    "galleryDonorText": "Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Armor Court",
    "updatedAt": "2026-05-29 05:09:03.205000",
    "imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_print.jpg",
    "sourceId": 95807,
    "dept": "Medieval Art",
    "coll": "MED - Arms & Armor",
    "med": "steel, pierced; leather and wood",
    "thumbnail_url": null,
    "image_url": null
}
Page context
{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1495/1916.1495_web.jpg",
    "mediaId": "03f5ccb981236ddf"
}