Lower portion of a scabbard 1645

This is an etching of the lower portion of a scabbard, made by Wenceslaus Hollar in the 17th century. Hollar was born in Prague, but much of his career was spent in England, where he produced detailed prints of London cityscapes and portraits of the English aristocracy. This image provides us with an insight into the material culture of the European elite. The elaborate decorations, including stylized birds and a classical female figure, speak to the owner's wealth and social standing. But it also reflects the networks of patronage and artistic production that sustained artists like Hollar. He made this print while working as a court artist for the Earl of Arundel. To fully understand the social life of this image, historians can turn to inventories of aristocratic collections, records of artistic commissions, and studies of decorative art and fashion in 17th-century Europe. These sources help us understand how art objects and social status were intimately linked.