Swords, with scabbard mounts
Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru
Pearl tassel with a gilt-silver shaft end decorated in kingfisher feather (a...
Couch and silver cover with green enamel ground Inlaid with precious stones |
Sui dynasty (581-618), ca. 600 Iron, gilt bronze, silver, wood These swords are said to have been found in an imperial tomb at Beijueshan, near Luoyang, Henan Province. The P-shaped scabbard mounts, which probably derive from the long swords worn in West and Central Asia by the nomadic Sarmatian and Sasanian horsemen, allowed the weapon to hang at an angle and served as a prototype for the Japanese tachi (slung sword). The ring pommel on one sword encloses a phoenix head and on the other takes the form of two confronted dragons. |
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