Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Tsuba with Dragons in Cartouches
(Japanese Military Armor)
This tsuba is decorated with six cartouches of dragons and a ground of fine fish egg ("nanako-ji") patterning. Four appear on the front and two are on the back. Each dragon is executed in a different metal. Dragons are a symbol of power and popularly depicted in Japanese art. Both secondary holes of this tsuba have been plugged.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan, Mito (Place of Origin)
Measurements
3 x 2 13/16 x 1/8 in. (7.6 x 7.18 x 0.38 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
51.333