Presentation Smallsword with Scabbard of Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794)

dated 1780
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 376
Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794) was presented with this sword by the residents of the English island of Jersey (Channel Islands) for having saved them from attack by the French fleet in 1779. A band wound around the grip bears a Latin inscription that reads in translation: "The Island of Jersey, delivered, presents this in gratitude, 1780." The urn-shaped pommel is an early example of what later became a characteristic feature of English Neoclassical hilts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Presentation Smallsword with Scabbard of Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794)
  • Date: dated 1780
  • Geography: London
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Gold, steel, wood, fish skin
  • Dimensions: L. 41 9/16 in. (105.5 cm); L. of blade 33 7/8 in. (86 cm); Wt. 11 oz. (313 g)
  • Classification: Swords
  • Credit Line: Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C. Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.145.314a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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Presentation Smallsword with Scabbard of Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794) - British - The Metropolitan Museum of Art