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Shoulder or Knee Defense
Possibly Mongolian or Chinese, 13th–15th century
Iron, gold, silver
H. 5¼ in. (13.3 cm), W. 6¾ in. (17.1 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1998 (1998.2)
cat. no. 47

This defense is the only piece of its kind known. It is lavishly decorated with a qilin (a mythological creature combining the features of several animals) in gold surrounded by leafy foliage in silver. The qilin was used as a rank badge from the Yuan (1279–1368) through the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), signifying a military official of the first rank, the highest of nine possible ranks for military and civil officials.

all text & images © Metropolitan Museum of Art


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