Artwork preview

Short Sword (Duan Jian)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The short sword has a black and gold handle with a rounded pommel. The handle is narrow and expands outward slightly at the base then tapers to meet the blade. The handle has a black base color with 6 yellow inlaid squares arranged in 2 vertical rows of 3. A yellow triangular shape protrudes from the bottom of the squares toward the blade. The blade is long and narrow with a straight edge and a pointed tip. The blade is gray and black with a rough texture. The background is light gray. The sword is titled "Short Sword" and artist is unknown.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 4th–1st century BCE
Medium
Steel, bronze, gold
Culture
Eastern Central Asia
Dimensions
265 × 624 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette