Sword Guard

Unknown

14th–15th century · Iron, gold, silver, copper · Arms and Armor

Depicting the face of a wrathful Tibetan Buddhist guardian deity, this extremely rare sword guard was originally part of a complete and very lavish sword. It is from the peak period of Tibetan or Sino-Tibetan ironwork, coinciding with the rule of the Phagmodrupa kings in central Tibet and the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties in China. It is exceptional for the precision and crispness of its chiseling, punched work, and damascening; for the height of the raised decoration; and for the balance and cohesion of its overall design.

Artist

Unknown

Date

14th–15th century

Medium

Iron, gold, silver, copper

Culture

Tibetan or Chinese

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 2014