Édouard ManetFrench, 1832–1883Boy Carrying a Sword
Boy with a Sword
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Room810New York, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 5 hours ago
- In this state since
- Sep 26, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Boy Carrying a Sword is an 1861 oil painting by the French artist Édouard Manet and is now displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work depicts a small boy costumed as a page of the Spanish court of the seventeenth century; he is holding a full-sized sword and sword belt. The work was later reproduced as an etching under the direction of Dijon painter and etcher Alphonse Legros who collaborated in the work.
According to Émile Zola, the work is typical of the influence of Spanish painters and shows the strong influence Diego Velázquez and Frans Hals had on Manet at the time.
The artist's model was Leon Leenhoff, the stepson of the artist after his marriage to Suzanne in 1862. Some report that Leon might have been Manet's actual son with Suzanne. Some other report that the father could have been Manet's own father, Auguste.
Particulars
- Accession number
- 89.21.2
What it shows
Sources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Open Access (CC0)
Meanwhile, in the life of Édouard Manet
The whole life1859
“The Absinthe Drinker” rejected; a final break with Couture
In 1859 Manet decided that his education was complete and submitted “The Absinthe Drinker” to the Salon; Couture reacted negatively and Manet finally broke with his teacher. The Salon jury rejected the painting: only Delacroix voted for it, while Couture voted against.
1861
His first participation in the Salon
In 1861 the Salon accepted two canvases by Manet: “Portrait of Monsieur and Madame Manet” and “The Spanish Singer”. Critics received the portrait coldly, while “The Spanish Singer” was admired by Théophile Gautier and, because of its popularity, hung in a more conspicuous place; the work intrigued young artists and brought new business to his studio.
1862
“Music in the Tuileries”: the fury of the public
In 1862 Manet exhibited “Music in the Tuileries” (probably painted in 1860), where the strollers include the poet Baudelaire, the musician Offenbach and the artist himself. It mostly provoked fury: the thick brushstrokes looked crude and unfinished, several visitors threatened to destroy the canvas; Delacroix defended it, and the controversy made Manet a well-known name in Paris.
1863
“The Luncheon on the Grass” at the Salon des Refusés
The Salon of 1863 rejected “The Luncheon on the Grass” (originally “Le Bain”), and Manet exhibited it at the Salon des Refusés, a parallel exhibition initiated by Napoleon III after a public outcry, the jury having accepted only 2,217 of more than 5,000 submissions. The juxtaposition of dressed men and a nude woman and the sketch-like handling caused a scandal; one critic compared the brushwork to a “floor mop”.
1863
Marries Suzanne Leenhoff
In 1863, a year after his father's death, Manet married Suzanne Leenhoff at a Protestant church: a Dutch-born piano teacher two years his senior with whom he had been romantically involved for about ten years. Auguste Manet had employed her to teach his sons the piano, and she may also have been Auguste's mistress.
1863
Married: Suzanne Manet
