Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dark brown metal sword guard with rounded edges and a wavy shape. Two oval-shaped holes are cut out from the center. The guard features gold and black designs. A gold oval shape is on the left side. Gold clouds are at the top, with two black birds flying above. On the right side, a gold mountain with a pointed peak is accompanied by two black birds flying nearby. At the bottom, gold plants are depicted in front of a gold hill. The background of the image is light gray. Sword Guard (Tsuba).

Artwork details

Date:
ca. 1860
Medium:
Iron, gold, silver, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 600 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette