England, London or Birmingham, late 18th Century / c. 1790
Court Sword
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Court Sword as arms and armor (England, London or Birmingham, late 18th Century · c. 1790).
The blue color on the blade was achieved by adding heat to the metal.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel; silver hilt, polished and faceted; blade partially blued and gilded.
The museum's collection notes: The hilt of this sword is finely finished with cut or faceted steel burnished to resemble cut stones. The neoclassical urn shape of the pommel was especially fashionable in England after 1780 up to the turn of the century. The upper portion of this blade is blued and gilded to provide a feel of great luxury. By the end of the 1700s, civilians no longer regularly wore swords nor used them as weapons. The court sword (or "small" sword as it was known in England) had become a piece of costume jewelry to be worn only with court dress or by military officers in dress uniform. The hilt and often the upper part of the blade became lavishly decorated
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCourt SwordOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.