Smallsword with Scabbard and Case

The tradition of presenting gifts of finely made armor and weapons is an ancient one. Swords, as the customary sidearm of a warrior and, from the Middle ages onward, a symbol of chivalry, were especially favored. Beginning in the seventeenth century numerous records survive that document the gifts of swords with sumptuously decorated mounts, usually worked in precious metals and occasionally jeweled, presented by a monarch or prince to distinguished courtiers, diplomats, and military heroes. This was especially true during the Napoleonic Wars, when both the French and English sides regularly awarded decorated arms in recognition of service to their king and country in time of war. In England, the City of London and various English civic and business associations awarded smallswords and sabers to officers of the Royal Navy for actions against the French. The present sword, its hilt of silver-gilt cast and chased in neoclassical style with naval and maritime imagery, is believed to have been presented to Captain Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin (1765–1857) in 1798. Preserved as a family heirloom for generations, this sword of exceptional quality retains its original blued and gilt blade, matching, scabbard, and shaped leather-covered storage box (not exhibited).

The Gosselin sword is unusual for the period in the absence of a presentation inscription or other specific references to the recipient. The iconography of the decoration, with its multiple references to the sea (Neptune, anchors, sails, and cannon) and patriotic imagery (Britannia, Union Jack, Cross of St. George) demonstrate that it was clearly designed with a naval officer in mind. This is confirmed by the existence of an identical hilt cast from the same molds and hallmarked for the same year, 1798–99, but executed by a different London silversmith, on a smallsword that bears the personal arms of Captain (later Admiral) Sir William Cornwallis (1744–1819) in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The recipient of the sword, Thomas Le Marchant Gosselin, was a professional seaman, having joined the Royal Navy in 1778 at the age of 13. He rose to the rank of captain by 1796, and was appointed admiral in 1841. During his more than three decades in active service at sea, he fought actions against the French in the Atlantic and West Indies. He is reputed to have been awarded this sword by the Masters of Merchantmen in recognition of his having safely conveyed a convoy of 59 merchant ships from England to the Caribbean island of Martinique (then under British control) in 1798. Ships of the Royal Navy regularly accompanied British merchant fleets across the Atlantic on their way to and from the Caribbean colonies for (in the words of a contemporary document) "the Protection of the Trade, His Majesty’s subjects and Annoyance of the Enemy."

In addition to its artistic and historical qualities, this sword is of additional interest for The Met’s collection as an example of the work of the London silversmith Michael Barnett (1758–1823), who worked extensively for the arms trade. Registering his first mark with the Goldsmiths’ Company in 1781, he listed himself as a hilt maker, though few sword hilts struck with his mark are recorded. On the other hand, his mark (the letters M and B separated by a pellet) is found on the silver mounts of some of the finest and most important London firearms of the period, including two outstanding pairs of flintlock pistols in The Met, one made by the gunsmith Durs Egg for the Prince of Wales (later George IV, r. 1820–30) in 1787–88 (acc. no. 2018.856.15a–g, currently on view in this exhibition), the other by Samuel Brunn, probably also made for the same patron, in 1800–1801 (acc. no. 1992.330.1, .2). Among the few recorded sword hilts bearing Barnett’s mark, the Gosselin sword appears to be his finest.