Artwork preview

Sword Guard (Tsuba)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Round, dark gray metal guard with textured surface; central oval-shaped hole; two rounded rectangular holes on either side; two gold dragon or phoenix-like creatures with spiky protrusions, one at top right and one at bottom left.

Artwork Details

Date
ca. 1615–1868
Medium
Copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>), gold
Culture
Japanese
Dimensions
600 × 600 px
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette