Subject: gzim sbyong pa / zimchongpa heavy infantryman
Culture: Tibetan
Setting: Tibet 14-17thc
Object: sword
Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery *
"Sword (jian) China, about 1420 This sword is one of the rarest and most beautiful surviving examples of ornate metalwork from the early Ming dynasty. It was probably made in the imperial workshops of the Yongle Emperor (r.1403-24).
Similar decoration occurs on several ritual objects commissioned by the early Ming rulers.
"Interaction with Tibetan Buddhism increased in China during this period. This high-status sword could have been made for presentation to a powerful Tibetan monastery or allied ruler, or even for the Yongle Emperor himself." ...
* Museum of Fine Arts
"Ritual Sword (khadga) and Scabbard Tibet or China, early 14th century
* Metropolitan Museum of Art > Stone Gallery of Arms and Armor
"Sword Tibetan or Chinese, 14th-16th century Iron, gold, and silver ... This sword is one of the finest of a small group of rare early swords from Tibet. The hilt, including its grip, is made entirely of iron that has been embossed, chiseled, and then damascened in gold and silver. The guard, just below the grip, takes the form of a stylized mask with teeth and fangs, probably representing a protective diety or guardian figure. Straight double-edged blades of this type are more often seen on Chinese swords but were also used in Tibet."
*
* Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery
"Sword Tibetan, probably 17th century
This sword is marked out by the excellence of the decoration on its scabbard and hilt mountings.
The modeling of the dragons and phoenixes on the scabbard,
and its fretted and gilt side pieces are particularly fine."
