Tsuba with a Lotus Pond
(Japanese Military Armor)
This tsuba depicts a lotus pond with lotus flowers blossoming. The plants are depicted in gold and silver relief. On the back of the tsuba, a water bug skims the water between the lotus. The lotus is associated with Buddha and a state of purity. The construction of this tsuba is unusual. The front is made of a copper and gold alloy called shakudo, while the back is silver. They have been fused together, creating a wavy pattern along the tsuba's edge.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan, Tokyo (Edo)
(Place of Origin)
Japan, Kyoto (Place of Origin)
Measurements
at center: 2 11/16 x 2 7/16 x 1/8 in. (6.9 x 6.13 x 0.34 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.
51.176