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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
Public Domain
Yes
Museum Record
View original
Palette