The Sword Swallower

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Artist Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)

Title The Sword Swallower (L'Avaleur de sabres)

Plate Number Plate XIII, pages 91

Series Jazz

Date 1943–1947, published 1947

Medium Color pochoir (stencil) and lithograph on paper

Dimensions Image: 16 5/8 × 25 5/8 in. (42.2 × 65.1 cm)
Sheet: 16 5/8 × 25 5/8 in. (42.2 × 65.1 cm)
Portfolio: 17 1/2 × 13 3/8 × 2 1/4 in. (44.5 × 34 × 5.7 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 65.23.13

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About this Work

A sword swallower with mouth wide open swallows the blades of three swords simultaneously. Their three handles rest on his teeth. He accomplishes this amazing feat by throwing his head far back, stretching his chin upward. The only evidence of his achievement that we can see is his swollen gullet, suggesting the presence of the three sword blades inside.

Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art has a complete copy of Matisse's Jazz (Eskenazi Museum of Art 65.23.1–.20) in its original slipcase bearing a personal inscription to the artist’s friend Jean Puy, a Post-Impressionist painter.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Publisher Tériade
Printer Edmond Vairel, Paris
Printer Draeger Frères, Paris
Plate Number Plate XIII, pages 91
Series Title Jazz

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"The Sword Swallower | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=65.23.13