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Sword Guard
Tibetan or Chinese, 14th–15th century
Iron, gold, silver, copper
H. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm), W. 4¾ (12.1 cm)
The Kronos Collections
cat. no. 56

This sword guard is exceptional for the precision and crispness of its chiseling, punched work, and damascening. Its figural relief is higher and more skillfully executed than virtually anything else encountered on Tibetan or Chinese decorated ironwork. It represents the mask of a fierce guardian deity and is all that remains of what must have been one of the most sumptuous swords of its type ever made.

all text & images © Metropolitan Museum of Art


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