Presentation Smallsword

A unique example by Napoleon’s goldsmith, Martin Guillaume Biennais, this opulent sword is a masterpiece of First Empire design. The hilt and scabbard mounts are fashioned entirely of two-color gold, with inset panels of deep blue lapis lazuli for contrast. Inspired by classical antiquity, the Neoclassical imagery includes the figure of Hercules on the grip and the heads of Paris of Troy on the pommel and those of Diana, Neptune, Mars, and Minerva on the pelta-shaped shell-guards. The blade and gold-mounted scabbard are equally rich in ornament. The upper half of the blade is blued and enriched with gilt classical motifs that includes an owl (symbol of Minerva), winged thunderbolts (referring to Jupiter), and wreaths of Victory. On the wide inner side of the blade there is a gold-inlaid inscription: "Le Duc de San Carlos au Comte Charles de l’Espine."

The circumstances surrounding the creation of this sword have not yet been fully explored or documented. The inscription on the blade indicates that it was given by José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas, 2nd Duke of San Carlos and Grandee of Spain (1771–1828) to his French son-in-law Count Charles de l’Espine, probably on the occasion of the count’s marriage to the duke’s only daughter. It is not known when, or under what circumstances, the duke acquired such a grand side-arm, which must have been made at least a decade earlier than the presentation. One plausible theory is that it was ordered, or at least given, by Ferdinando VII, King of Spain, in recognition of the duke’s role in negotiating the Treaty of Valençay (signed December 11, 1813), which brought an end of the king’s years of French captivity (at the Chateau of Valencçay, since 1808) in France and restored him to the Spanish throne the following year. With the restoration of the monarchy, honors followed: duke was appointed for the second time Mayordomo mayores or High Steward, to the king, made a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and named first Minister of State, the highest office second only to the king. In the absence of documentation, the sword was likely commissioned in 1814 from Biennais, the most renowned goldsmith in Paris.

A work of artistic and historical importance, this sword is unlike any in the Metropolitan Museum. Its acquisition inestimably enhances the Department of Arms and Armor’s collection of European swords and our public presentation of arms of the First Empire. The Department of Arms and Armor has for many years had as a goal the acquisition of a great example of a Napoleonic-era French presentation sword. This colorful, exquisitely executed, and perfectly preserved example fulfills that desire. It will also complement the Museum’s extensive collection of early nineteenth-century French decorative arts, which include excellent examples of Biennais’ domestic silver wares.