Design for a Sword-belt, Knife, and Stylus
Pierre Woeiriot was trained as a goldsmith, but is renowned for his work as an engraver and printmaker. His prints feature his own original renderings of portraits, biblical scenes, religious emblems, jewelry, and rapier hilts. This engraving of a sword-belt with elaborate mounts, the latter no doubt intended to be executed in silver or gilt bronze, is among his rarest prints. Most of the sheet is devoted to a detailed depiction of an ornate sword-belt consisting of a waist belt, a diagonal strap (called the side-piece or ceinturon), and a sword hanger, which comprises two loops called slings. Each of these elements is adorned with elaborate figural fittings and buckles. In use, the scabbard of a sword or rapier would be held securely in the slings, with the diagonal strap keeping the scabbard at the desired angle. The initials PW (for Pierre Woeiriot) appear on the blade of an axe, seen just to the left of the figure of a Roman warrior, which is found on the fitting at the top of the slings. Arranged horizontally in the bottom left quarter of the sheet, below the diagonal strap, there is a stylet or bodkin above a knife, each with a complex figural grip.
Artwork Details
- Title: Design for a Sword-belt, Knife, and Stylus
- Artist: Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II (French, Neufchâteau 1532–1599 Damblain)
- Date: ca. 1555
- Culture: French
- Medium: Engraving
- Dimensions: 7 3/16 x 9 3/4 in. (18.3 x 24.7 cm)
- Classification: Works on Paper-Engravings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Kenneth and Vivian Lam Gift, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.697
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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Multiple artists/makers
1556
Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II
Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola)
16th century
Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II
1550–60
Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II
1555
Pierre Woeiriot de Bouzey II
ca. 1550–60
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