Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Flowers

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a circular sword guard with a dark brown or black metal composition. The guard has a central oval shape with rounded protrusions on each side. The central oval shape features a teardrop-shaped cutout. The guard is adorned with six flower-like designs, each consisting of a spiral center surrounded by radiating lines resembling petals. These designs are evenly spaced around the guard, alternating between the inner and outer parts of the circle. The background of the image transitions from dark gray at the top to light gray at the bottom. The sword guard is likely a tsuba, a component of a Japanese sword. The artist and title of the piece are "Sword Guard (Tsuba) with Flowers".