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
Museum record:
View original
Palette