Small-Sword (c. 1790–1800): Art, History and Details

Small-Sword (c. 1790–1800) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This example shows the small-sword at its latest and most refined stage of development. Though highly reflective of French taste, it was probably fashioned in a Swiss workshop under French influence or by a French craftsman working in Switzerland. Worn publicly as an emblem of social rank, this sword was likely custom-made for an affluent individual to use on formal or court occasions. So-called because of its short blade, the small-sword emerged as the light and quick weapon of choice for aristocratic civilians during the 1700s. Such a sword was traditionally suspended at about mid-thigh from the left side of a belt, the hilt exposed through the opening of the gentleman's coat. Highly visible, the hilt invited lavish decoration through precious materials such as gold and enamels, as seen here. Considered a type of masculine jewelry at that time, small-swords featured a variety of hilt styles that went in and out of fashion. Many were decorated to match personal costume, and jewelers worked on the finest small-swords of the day.

Object facts

• Title: Small-Sword
• Date: c. 1790–1800
• Culture: Switzerland, Geneva(?) (blade: Germany, Solingen, early 18th c.), late 18th Century
• Type: Arms and Armor
• Technique: hilt: gold with blue translucent enamel; blade: etched, blued and gilded steel
• Dimensions: Overall: 97 cm (38 3/16 in.); Blade: 81 cm (31 7/8 in.); Hilt: 16.5 cm (6 1/2 in.)
• Collection: MED - Arms & Armor
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 2002.1

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

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.