Subject: cavalryman

Culture: Chinese

Setting: Qin-Western Han dynasties, Chinese empire late 3rd-1stc BC

Object: 劍 sword

Kimbell Art Museum > Passport to Asia *

"Sword and hilt China, Han dynasty, 3rd century BC Jade, crystal, and agate"

"Three sets of sword ornaments China, Han dynasty, 3rd century BC Jade, crystal, and agate"

"In earlier Eastern Zhou examples, the sword guard, the hilt, and the pommel were all cast together. The creation of separate accessories in jade during the Han period allowed the carvers more creative freedom so that these ornaments, still retaining their practical function, became increasingly ornamental. The most prevalent motifs are dragons that resemble felines, with twirling, s-shaped bodies recalling the sinuous movements of steppe animal art. They are often represented in a pair, with only one displaying a long crest and the other a hornless type of dragon commonly known as chi. The sword and hilt is a rare case of a jade guard still preserved on what remains of an iron sword."

* Kimbell Art Museum > Passport to Asia

"Scabbard slide China, Han dynasty, 3rd century BC Jade

Animals carved on Han jades increasingly seem to emerge from the jade itself,

separating themselves from the background until they finally stand on the surface

as miniature sculptures. Here, two dragons with feline bodies are carved as almost

freestanding images on the flat surface of the ornament. Their sinuous bodies infuse

the jade with a sense of movement, of liveliness and dynamism, which represents

not only one of the greatest achievements in Han jade art, but also the unsurpassed

peak of an artistic tradition that will gradually fade with the demise of the Han dynasty."