Presentation Smallsword with Scabbard of Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794)

Unknown

dated 1780 · Gold, steel, wood, fish skin · Arms and Armor

Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot (1711–1794) was presented with this sword by the residents of the English island of Jersey (Channel Islands) for having saved them from attack by the French fleet in 1779. A band wound around the grip bears a Latin inscription that reads in translation: "The Island of Jersey, delivered, presents this in gratitude, 1780." The urn-shaped pommel is an early example of what later became a characteristic feature of English Neoclassical hilts.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated 1780

Medium

Gold, steel, wood, fish skin

Culture

British

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of Jean Jacques Reubell, in memory of his mother, Julia C. Coster, and of his wife, Adeline E. Post, both of New York City, 1926