Smallsword Hilt and Blade
Sword hilts of European fashion made of shakudō, an alloy of copper and gold patinated to the blue-black color that was used in Japan for small decorative objects such as sword mountings, were probably fabricated for the Dutch East India Company at their trading post on the Japanese island of Deshima. Hilt elements like these were then exported to Holland, where they were fitted with grips and blades.
Artwork Details
- Title: Smallsword Hilt and Blade
- Date: ca. 1730
- Geography: Nagasaki
- Culture: hilt, Japanese, possibly Dejima; blade, European
- Medium: Steel, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold
- Dimensions: Hilt (a); L. approx. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. approx. 4 in. (10.2 cm); Wt. 5.3 oz. (150.3 g); blade (b); L. 40 1/8 in. (101.9 cm); Wt. 5.5 oz. (155.9 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: 26.145.325a, b
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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