id:			95800
accession number:	1916.1489
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1489
updated:		2023-03-03 07:01:10.371000

Small Sword, c. 1720–60. England, 18th century. Steel; piercing; perforation; overall: 97 cm (38 3/16 in.); blade: 80.5 cm (31 11/16 in.); grip: 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.); guard: 7.7 cm (3 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance 1916.1489

title:				Small Sword
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1720–60
creation date earliest:		1715
creation date latest:		1765
current location:		210A Armor Court
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance
copyright:			

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culture:	England, 18th century
technique:	steel; piercing; perforation
department:	Medieval Art
collection:	MED - Arms & Armor
type:		Arms and Armor
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 97 cm (38 3/16 in.); Blade: 80.5 cm (31 11/16 in.); Grip: 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.); Guard: 7.7 cm (3 1/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:

	description:	perforated blade
	watermarks:	

inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Armor Court Reinstallation
	opening date:   1998-09-10T00:00:00
	<i>Armor Court Reinstallation</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* The Cleveland Museum of Art (09/10/1998); "Armor Court Reinstallation"

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PROVENANCE

	Frank Gair Macomber; Boston; cat. #218.
	date: 
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact:


digital description:


wall 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.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	<em>Catalogue of Arms and Armour</em>. Vol. 4, <em>17th to 19th century and a few pieces of iron work</em>. [Boston, Massachusetts]: [Frank Gair Macomber], [1900-1915].
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: No. (218) 237
	url:		https://archive.org/details/CatArmsArmour4/page/n250

	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. 132, E102; Reproduced: Plate XXXII, E102
	url:		https://archive.org/details/SeveranceCollection1924/page/n199

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1489/1916.1489_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1489/1916.1489_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.1489/1916.1489_full.tif