Design for Two Sides of a Dagger Sheath

Design for Two Sides of a Dagger Sheath

Eusebio Zuloaga

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sheet and two others in the collection (acc. nos. 2015.99 and 2015.101) are rare examples of finished design drawings for the decoration of firearms and edged weapons created in the workshop of Eusebio Zuloaga, gunmaker to the Spanish monarchs, keeper of the Royal Armory in Madrid, and the most famous Spanish metalworker of the mid-nineteenth century. This sheet shows both sides of a luxurious knife or dagger sheath, which would have been made in the Zuloaga workshops in Madrid or Eibar.

Arms and Armor

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Design for Two Sides of a Dagger SheathDesign for Two Sides of a Dagger SheathDesign for Two Sides of a Dagger SheathDesign for Two Sides of a Dagger SheathDesign for Two Sides of a Dagger Sheath

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.