Hunting Sword
Not on view
The hilt has a slightly curved porcelain grip with gilt relief decoration, a silver guard with short counter-curved quillons and a shell in relief in its center, and a pommel cap of silver. The silver parts are stamped with the date-letter for 1778 of the Paris silversmiths' guild, and several illegible marks. The single-edged, slightly curved blade has a shallow groove on either side and is etched and formerly gilt in its upper third with rococo strapwork and a medallion enclosing a leaping stag. In the upper part of the groove is etched a sun in splendor surmounted by a royal crown. The relief decoration on the procelain grip consists of motifs related to the hunt, such as a huntsman resting with his dog, Diana the Hunterss, and Venus and Adonis, who fell asleep after a hunt.
As part of a gentleman's hunting attire, these swords tended to serve more of a symbolic––rather than functional––role and, like smallswords, became objects of luxury that were subject to every variety of decoration, however impractical.
