Doll's Sword and Scabbard
1690-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Lord Clapham comes complete with sword and scabbard, indispensable items in a man's wardrobe. These miniature versions must have been deliberately remodelled to accompany the doll.
Materials & Making
The steel blade of the sword has been cut down from an old sword point. The handle has a gilt-copper wire binding and a gilt-brass stirrup guard. The scabbard is made of wood covered with black leather stamped with geometric designs and stitched up the centre back. The chape (the metal tip at the closed end of the scabbard) is gilt brass. There is a hole at the top of the scabbard where a hook (lost before acquisition) would have been attached.
Ownership & Use
A gentleman's sword of this period usually had a silver or cut steel hilt. Gilt-brass handles are normally found on military swords. In the period 1690-1700 swords were widely carried in Britain, even by servants. The cutting down and reusing of metal was common in the 17th century and swords were usually recycled as dirks (a kind of dagger) and knives. They were also shortened for use by young boys when they adopted miniature versions of adult dress after breeching (first wearing breeches). These, however, were attached securely to the scabbard so that they could not actually be drawn.
Lord Clapham comes complete with sword and scabbard, indispensable items in a man's wardrobe. These miniature versions must have been deliberately remodelled to accompany the doll.
Materials & Making
The steel blade of the sword has been cut down from an old sword point. The handle has a gilt-copper wire binding and a gilt-brass stirrup guard. The scabbard is made of wood covered with black leather stamped with geometric designs and stitched up the centre back. The chape (the metal tip at the closed end of the scabbard) is gilt brass. There is a hole at the top of the scabbard where a hook (lost before acquisition) would have been attached.
Ownership & Use
A gentleman's sword of this period usually had a silver or cut steel hilt. Gilt-brass handles are normally found on military swords. In the period 1690-1700 swords were widely carried in Britain, even by servants. The cutting down and reusing of metal was common in the 17th century and swords were usually recycled as dirks (a kind of dagger) and knives. They were also shortened for use by young boys when they adopted miniature versions of adult dress after breeching (first wearing breeches). These, however, were attached securely to the scabbard so that they could not actually be drawn.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Steel, gilt brass, wood, stamped leather, gilt copper wire |
| Brief description | Doll's steel-blade sword and wooden scabbard, London, 1690-1700 |
| Physical description | Doll's sword and scabbard comprising of a steel-blade sword with a gilt-brass stirrup hilt, and a scabbard of wood and leather. The sword is cut down from an old sword point, with a gilt copper wire binding and a brass handle. The scabbard is made of wood covered with black leather stamped with geometric designs and stitched up the centre back. The chape is of gilt brass. There is a hole at the top of the scabbard where a hook would have been attached. |
| Dimensions | Dimensions checked: measured; 01/01/1999 by DW |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased by public subscription |
| Object history | The doll is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of Samuel Pepys. The daughter of Pepys' nephew John Jackson(son of his sister, Pauline) married a Cockerell. The doll and its partner were named 'Lord' and 'Lady' of the family home in Clapham. Historical significance: The doll and its partner are costume documents; their clothes being, in style, cut and material, perfect miniatures of the fashions of the late 17th century. Their importance is underlined by the almost total lack of other good visual source material for this period, whether pictorial or in the form of surviving garments. In particular the survival of accessories and the informal garments is extremely rare. |
| Historical context | Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive. It is most unlikely that these particular examples were the playthings of children. Their production is of a high quality; almost all the accessories survive and there is little wear and tear on the dolls and their garments. The dolls were most probably purchased for the amusement of adults, and as a decorative accessory to a home. |
| Summary | Object Type Lord Clapham comes complete with sword and scabbard, indispensable items in a man's wardrobe. These miniature versions must have been deliberately remodelled to accompany the doll. Materials & Making The steel blade of the sword has been cut down from an old sword point. The handle has a gilt-copper wire binding and a gilt-brass stirrup guard. The scabbard is made of wood covered with black leather stamped with geometric designs and stitched up the centre back. The chape (the metal tip at the closed end of the scabbard) is gilt brass. There is a hole at the top of the scabbard where a hook (lost before acquisition) would have been attached. Ownership & Use A gentleman's sword of this period usually had a silver or cut steel hilt. Gilt-brass handles are normally found on military swords. In the period 1690-1700 swords were widely carried in Britain, even by servants. The cutting down and reusing of metal was common in the 17th century and swords were usually recycled as dirks (a kind of dagger) and knives. They were also shortened for use by young boys when they adopted miniature versions of adult dress after breeching (first wearing breeches). These, however, were attached securely to the scabbard so that they could not actually be drawn. |
| Associated object | T.846-1974 (Object) |
| Bibliographic reference | Hillier, Mary, Pollock's Dictionary of English Dolls, London: Robert Hale Ltd., 1982, 51, 202pp. ill |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.847T&U-1974 |
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| Record created | August 12, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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