Not on display

Rowel Spur

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

At a time when people travelled long distances on horseback, spurs were an important and necessary accessory. They were designed to fit round the heel of a boot and were held by a strap and buckle which passed over the foot. The manufacture of spurs was a specialist craft, the makers being known as 'spurriers'.

This type, with revolving spiked wheels that pressed into the flanks of the horse, was known as a rowel spur. It was first developed in the late Middle Ages. Some rowel spurs are elaborate showpieces with more than a dozen revolving spiked wheels.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Wrought iron
Brief description
Wrought iron, gold lacquered, Spain or Mexico, 19th century
Physical description
Swan necked rowel spur held by a phoenix head, iron, gold lacquered
Dimensions
  • Length: 20.5cm
  • Width: 8.7cm
  • Depth: 5.5cm
Credit line
Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh
Summary
At a time when people travelled long distances on horseback, spurs were an important and necessary accessory. They were designed to fit round the heel of a boot and were held by a strap and buckle which passed over the foot. The manufacture of spurs was a specialist craft, the makers being known as 'spurriers'.

This type, with revolving spiked wheels that pressed into the flanks of the horse, was known as a rowel spur. It was first developed in the late Middle Ages. Some rowel spurs are elaborate showpieces with more than a dozen revolving spiked wheels.
Bibliographic references
  • Charles de Lacy, The History of the Spur , The Connoisseur, 1911
  • Charles Chenevix Trench, A History of Horsemanship, Longman, 1970
Collection
Accession number
M.179-1925

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 9, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest