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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
95330
label
Smallsword
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
95330
contentType
object
title
Smallsword
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. 1730
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756326
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 94.5 cm (37 3/16 in.); Blade: 77.2 cm (30 3/8 in.); Grip: 13.2 cm (5 3/16 in.); Guard: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.)
cul
France, Paris
accession
1916.1097
Source extras
tec
steel, blued, with gold encrusted decoration; chased and engraved; silver wire
tombstone
Smallsword, c. 1730. France, Paris. Steel, blued, with gold encrusted decoration; chased and engraved; silver wire; overall: 94.5 cm (37 3/16 in.); blade: 77.2 cm (30 3/8 in.); grip: 13.2 cm (5 3/16 in.); guard: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance, 1916.1097
supportMaterials
description
gilt and blued shell
collection
MED - Arms & Armor
didYouKnow
The decorative design of the hilt was often carried down onto the blade, which could be chased or etched with designs, and gilded or blued as seen here.
citations
citation
<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour. </em>[Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], 1900.
page_number
cat. no. 494
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. 135, E111
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
page_number
pp. 118, 169; cat. no. 142
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>[Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
cat. no. 194, p. 192
creditline
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:06:43.344000
sourceId
95330
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Arms & Armor
med
steel, blued, with gold encrusted decoration; chased and engraved; silver wire
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9857e96c8e641640