The Exercise of Armes

1607

The Exercise of Armes, 1607. Engraved by Jacob de Gheyn II (Dutch, 1565–1629). Leather bound paper, 117 engraved plates; page: 27.5 x 19 cm (10 13/16 x 7 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 2022.21 The Exercise of Arms, published in 1607/8, is one of the most famous manuals of arms. Jacob De Gheyn's book became popular all over Europe and was quickly translated into several languages. Its 117 copper engravings portray the step-by-step sequence for training foot soldiers in the handling of the standard weaponry of the 17th-century warfare: muskets, matchlock or calivers, and pikes. The depiction of the soldiers in this book inspired Rembrandt when painting his famous The Night Watch.