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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.

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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 &amp; 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
{
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