Pair of Rowel Spurs

Unknown

17th century · Iron alloy, silver, gold · Arms and Armor

This pair of spurs, originally entirely gilded (some traces left), are inlaid with a silver decoration consisting of fruits, stars, vegetal garlands and cherubs' heads. On each side of the arms, there is a medallion with a stamped silver foil bearing an allegory of Fortune (a woman holding a sail and standing on a winged globe). In the first half of the 17th century, the fashion trend for gentlemen was to wear boots and spurs even non-riding circumstances, including for dancing or walking around at court. Spurs became then more than equestrian tools, but pieces of male jewelry often enriched by the same goldsmiths also working on armor and weapons. Their decoration was sometimes intended to match the sword hilt and the general outfit and horse tack of their owner. These trendy accessories were also a significant mark of status for gentlemen, sometimes nonetheless copied by the bourgeoisie. This fashion progressively disappeared after the mid 17th century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Iron alloy, silver, gold

Culture

German

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of Stephen V. Grancsay, 1942