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A work made of steel, iron, gold, silver, and wood.

Smallsword for a Child

c. 1670

French

France

Court culture dictated that young noble children were expected to be dressed like adults, and this led to the production of scaled-down fashion accessories like smallswords. The size of this sword suggests it was made for a boy of between four and six. A seemingly dangerous proposition, children’s swords were often tied firmly into their scabbards so that they wouldn’t hurt themselves or someone else.

Steel, iron, gold, silver, and wood

Applied Arts of Europe