Sword Hilt
Medium
Bronze, gold
Dimensions
H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); W. 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm); D. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); Wt. 1 lb. 12 oz. (799.5 g)
Classification
Swords
Culture
French, Paris
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Gift of William H. Riggs, by exchange, 1989
Accession Number
1989.229
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite sword hilt, crafted in 1881–82 by the renowned French sculptor Albert-Ern Carrier-Belleuse andsmith Lucien Falize, the opulent metalwork of late 19th-century Paris Made of bronze with lavish gold accents, it measures just over 6 inches high and nearly 2 pounds, blending functionality with fine art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department, it reflects the era's revival of historicist designs, where swords transitioned from battlefield tools to status symbols for collectors and ceremonial use. Carrier-Belleuse, a master of neoclassical sculpture celeb...
About the Artist
Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse|Lucien Falize · 1824–1887
Comment on works: sculptor