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Source Description
During the 1700s, the small-sword emerged as a light, quick weapon. Like the rapier it was carried by unarmored civilians, the noblemen of the upper classes. Over time this delicate sword became more an accessory of male attire than a weapon essential to life and death. The sword hilt, which shows even when the blade is sheathed, became the ground for elaborate decoration. These small-swords thus represent the final stage in the evolution of the sword, from the edged weapons of antiquity to the elegantly refined blades of the 1700s and 1800s.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
147959
label
Small Sword
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
147959
contentType
object
title
Small Sword
description
During the 1700s, the small-sword emerged as a light, quick weapon. Like the rapier it was carried by unarmored civilians, the noblemen of the upper classes. Over time this delicate sword became more an accessory of male attire than a weapon essential to life and death. The sword hilt, which shows even when the blade is sheathed, became the ground for elaborate decoration. These small-swords thus represent the final stage in the evolution of the sword, from the edged weapons of antiquity to the elegantly refined blades of the 1700s and 1800s.
date
c. 1780
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60740055
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 103.5 cm (40 3/4 in.); Blade: 86.1 cm (33 7/8 in.); Guard: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.)
cul
France, Paris (?), 18th century
accession
1974.57
Source extras
tec
forged steel blade; partially gilt and russet steel hilt; steel wire, leather bands, wood core
tombstone
Small Sword, c. 1780. France, Paris (?), 18th century. Forged steel blade; partially gilt and russet steel hilt; steel wire, leather bands, wood core; overall: 103.5 cm (40 3/4 in.); blade: 86.1 cm (33 7/8 in.); guard: 8.3 cm (3 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from the Bascom Little Estate, 1974.57
collection
MED - Arms & Armor
formerAccessionNumbers
1022.16
didYouKnow
The fashion among gentleman for wearing small-swords with everyday attire began to wane by the end of the 1700s with the exception of the military dress sword.
citations
citation
Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1974." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 62, no. 3 (1975).
page_number
p. 98, cat. no. 42
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N.<em> Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. [</em>Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
page_number
pp. 121, 172; cat. no. 199
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
cat. no. 200, p. 192.
creditline
Gift from the Bascom Little Estate
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:36:05.476000
sourceId
147959
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Arms & Armor
med
forged steel blade; partially gilt and russet steel hilt; steel wire, leather bands, wood core
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7c4b1a34b36fec51