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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.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 4826889f88c47717
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 95335
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "95335",
"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. 1700",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1101",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"wikidata": [
"Q60779108"
],
"genreSpecific": [
"Arms and Armor"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 100.3 cm (39 1/2 in.); Blade: 83.7 cm (32 15/16 in.); Guard: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)",
"cul": [
"Italy (?), early 18th Century"
],
"accession": "1916.1101"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "95335",
"label": "Small Sword",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "95335",
"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. 1700",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1101",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"wikidata": [
"Q60779108"
],
"genreSpecific": [
"Arms and Armor"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"dimensionsRaw": "Overall: 100.3 cm (39 1/2 in.); Blade: 83.7 cm (32 15/16 in.); Guard: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)",
"cul": [
"Italy (?), early 18th Century"
],
"accession": "1916.1101"
}
Document source extras
{
"tec": "steel, wood, copper wire",
"tombstone": "Small Sword, c. 1700. Italy (?), early 18th Century. Steel, wood, copper wire; overall: 100.3 cm (39 1/2 in.); blade: 83.7 cm (32 15/16 in.); guard: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1101",
"supportMaterials": [
{
"description": "engraved scrolls on blade"
}
],
"collection": "MED - Arms & Armor",
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Gilchrist, Helen Ives. <em>A Catalogue of the Collection of Arms & Armor Presented to the Cleveland Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. John Long Severance; 1916-1923</em>. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1924.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: p. 129, E96",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n194"
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1101",
"creditline": "Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance",
"galleryDonorText": "Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Armor Court",
"updatedAt": "2026-05-29 05:06:41.148000",
"imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_print.jpg",
"sourceId": 95335,
"dept": "Medieval Art",
"coll": "MED - Arms & Armor",
"med": "steel, wood, copper wire",
"thumbnail_url": null,
"image_url": null
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
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"type": "photo",
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1101/1916.1101_web.jpg",
"mediaId": "4826889f88c47717"
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