Artwork preview

Pair of Sword-Grip Ornaments (Menuki)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two bronze-colored metal ornaments, likely made of metal, featuring a dragon design. The ornaments are identical and symmetrical. They are shaped like elongated ovals with pointed ends. The dragons are depicted in a curved position, with their heads on the left side and tails on the right. The dragons have spiky scales along their bodies and appear to be emerging from foliage. Each ornament has a small, round gold-colored metal piece at each end, resembling a globe with a grid pattern. The background is a plain light gray color. The ornaments are presented by artist as a "Pair of Sword-Grip Ornaments (Menuki)".

Artwork details

Date:
18th century
Medium:
Gold, copper, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi)
Culture:
Japanese
Dimensions:
600 × 480 px
Museum record:
View original
Palette