- Title
- Ceremonial Sword
- Date Made
- 18th century
- Medium
- Steel blade, nephrite jade handle; silver sheath with stingray skin and inlaid with coral, turquoise, and rubies
- Dimensions
- Overall: 20 1/2 x 5 3/4 x 2 in. (52.07 x 14.61 x 5.08 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.84.31.513a-b
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Previously catalogued as Eastern Tibetan (Pal, 1983 & 1990, p. 256, no. R22), this ceremonial sword and scabbard is more likely Mongolian based on its style of decoration. Ornate swords were indicators of rank and status of male warriors in Tibet and Mongolia, but this sword was probably brandished by priests in Vajrayana Buddhist exorcism rituals to ward off negative forces and attitudes.
The sword has a single edge with an oblique point. The light green nephrite jade hilt with vegetal scrolls executed in shallow relief is likely Chinese. It is fashioned in the form of a pistol grip with a rounded pommel. This hilt form was often used on khanjar daggers (see M.71.1.35a-b, M.76.2.16a-b, and M.76.2.18). The elaborate scabbard has a locket and chape made of silver and silver filigree inlaid with coral and turquoise lotus blossoms. The exterior sides of the scabbard are made of stingray skin (shagreen). There is an undulating dragon mount for a now-missing decorative silk tassel.
See also M.77.111.1 and M.77.111.2. A comparable Mongolian sword and scabbards with stingray skin was sold at Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers, New York, March 21, 2022, https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/chinese-or-mongolian-sword-and-scabbard-355-c-ac547bca91?srsltid=AfmBOoqu_SIFwH07Z3r4C8ZTfs5Mq1EUjfdD54pFHIM1ibuN6hoBLsUw
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Tibet. Los Angeles; Berkeley, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1983.
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Tibet. Expanded edition. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1990.
