Saber of Archduke Carl Joseph of Austria (1745–1761) as a Boy

Measuring only 18 ½ inches (49.9 cm) in length, this tiny sword is notable for the precious materials, exquisite execution, and fashionable rococo style of its hilt. The burnished blade is plain except for an etched inscription on Latin on one side that provides us with important information for the history of the weapon. From this we learn that it formed part of the ceremonial Hungarian-style costume worn by Archduke Carl (1745–1761), second son of Empress Maria Theresa (ruled 1740–80), when he accompanied his mother to a political summit meeting at Pressburg, Hungary (now Bratislava, Slovakia) in 1751. The Kingdom of Hungary was part of the Holy Roman Empire from 1526 to 1818 and Pressburg was the capital and seat of government from 1536. It was there, in St. Martin’s Cathedral, that Maria Theresa was crowned queen in 1740. Her return to Pressburg with her family in 1751 to meet with the parliament was a state occasion, one that required appropriate dress. The empress’s three sons, Archduke Joseph (1741–1790), age ten, heir to the throne, and his younger brothers, Archdukes Carl Joseph, age six, and Leopold (1747–1792), age four, wore traditional Hungarian uniforms, including swords of similar type, their hilts with green bloodstone grips fitted with gold mounts. The blades of the weapons worn by the two older boys were later inscribed to record the historic circumstances of their use. Joseph’s sword is still preserved in a private collection, whereas that of Leopold is unrecorded.

Apart from its historical significance, this sword is a rare documented child’s weapon. It was commonplace since at least the Middle Ages for the sons of aristocracy and prominent military men to received weapons as a symbol of their coming adulthood and entry into the chivalric order. While a few medieval swords of diminutive size are preserved, the majority of boys’ weapons date to the eighteenth century. The Met’s Department of Arms and Armor has a fine group of eighteenth-century smallswords for boys (acc. nos. 34.57.1–.18), which, like that for Archduke Carl Joseph, served more as status symbols and costume accessories than practical weapons.