Detail View: The AMICA Library: Small-Sword
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.2002.1
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AMICA Library Year:
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2002
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Object Type:
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Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
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Creator Nationality:
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Switzerland (blade: Germany, Solingen, early 18th c.), late 18th Century
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Switzerland (blade: Germany, Solingen, early 18th c.), late 18th Century
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Title:
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Small-Sword
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Detail
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Creation Date:
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c. 1790-1800
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Creation Start Date:
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1790
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Creation End Date:
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1800
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Materials and Techniques:
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hilt: gold with blue translucent enamel; blade: etched, blued and gilded steel
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Classification Term:
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Arms and Armor
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Dimensions:
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Overall: , Blade: , Hilt:
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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2002.1
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Credit Line:
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Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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Rights:
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Provenance:
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Marshall M. Fredericks Coll.; Peter Finer, Warwickshire
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Context:
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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.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.AM20021807.tif
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