Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)

Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)

Paul Bled

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This smallsword was presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé to commemorate his official announcement to the city of the birth of Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856–1879), son of Emperor Napoleon III, on March 16, 1856, as indicated by the inscription on its blade. The birth of the Bonaparte heir was celebrated as an event of national importance throughout France. Sometime after the announcement, this sword was commissioned from Lepage-Moutier, a renowned firm of Parisian gunmakers. To create the hilt, Lepage employed Paul Bled (1807–1881), one of the most famous modelers and steel chiselers of the period. Perhaps to evoke the glory of previous reigns, Bled made the hilt as an exacting replica of an eighteenth-century smallsword, copying an example then in the private collection of Alfred-Emilien O'Hara, comte de Nieuwerkerke (1811–1892), Minister of Fine Arts to Napoleon III and Director of the Louvre. The Nieuwerkerke sword was acquired later by Sir Richard Wallace and is now part of the Wallace Collection in London.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)Smallsword Presented by the City of Paris to Commandant Ildefonse Favé (1812–1894)

The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.