What was Colonel Pyncheon holding in his portrait?

Colonel Pyncheon, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The House of the Seven Gables", is depicted in his portrait holding a sword.

The sword is symbolic of his military past and the power and authority he wielded. It also serves as a reminder of the darker aspects of his legacy, particularly his involvement in the Salem Witch Trials, which contribute to the novel's themes of guilt, sin, and the weight of the past.