Small Sword (c. 1770): Art, History and Details

Small Sword (c. 1770) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The small-sword was a light, quick weapon that emerged during the 18th century. It was carried by unarmored civilians, the noblemen of the upper classes. The porcelain hilt, elaborately decorated, would have been visible even when the sword was sheathed–making this object more an accessory of male attire than a utilitarian weapon.

Object facts

• Title: Small Sword
• Date: c. 1770
• Culture: Germany, 18th century
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: steel, gilt-brass, porcelain grip
• Dimensions: Overall: 90.5 cm (35 5/8 in.); Blade: 76.9 cm (30 1/4 in.); Grip: 11.3 cm (4 7/16 in.); Hilt: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1916.1501

A detail from the museum

Small-swords with porcelain grips became fashionable in the mid- to late 1700s and added a colorful splash to male attire.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue of Arms and Armour. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900.
• Gilchrist, Helen Ives. A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.
• Fliegel, Stephen N. Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.