France, Paris / c. 1730
Smallsword
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Smallsword as arms and armor (France, Paris · c. 1730).
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.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this arms and armor as steel, blued, with gold encrusted decoration; chased and engraved; silver wire.
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSmallswordOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.