Cavalry Officer's Saber

John Lynch

ca. 1810 · Steel, silver, wood, gold · Arms and Armor

This saber exemplifies the appeal of simple hilt designs in America from the Colonial to the Federal era, and is remarkable among the handful of comparable sabers that survive for the fact that it is the only known example of its type with a signed hilt. The work of John Lynch, a Baltimore silversmith and watch and clock-maker, the hilt is closely related in form and even decoration to that of the saber of Captain Thorndick Chase of Baltimore (1755–1838) in the Maryland Historical Society, and to the hilts of a few additional specimens, which are traditionally thought to have been made in Philadelphia. It occupies a special place in Lynch's work, as his silver hilts for swords and another saber customarily feature eagle-shaped pommels and grips of ivory.

Artist

John Lynch

Date

ca. 1810

Medium

Steel, silver, wood, gold

Culture

American, Baltimore

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Bequest, 2015