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Scabbard Slide

CC0 Public Domain Designation

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Date:

Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9)

Artist:

China

About this artwork

The bar-shaped scabbard slide, used for suspending a long iron weapon from a low-slung leather belt, saw widespread distribution throughout the Mediterranean, Central and Western Asia, and the Ural steppe (southern Russia), where it likely originated in the 7th/6th century B.C. The earliest scabbard slides, used by cavalry as well as nomadic tribes engaged in hunting and herding, were likely made of stone, wood, and metal. Nomadic horsemen who occupied China’s northern and Central Asian steppe regions likely introduced the scabbard slide to craftsmen in central and southern China, who designed elegant versions like this in jade. These, in turn, inspired imitations in commoner stones by later craftsmen of the steppe regions. The scabbard slide therefore seems to have traveled full circle—eastward to China and from there, westward again.

Status

On View, Gallery 132

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Scabbard Slide

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

206 BCE–9 CE

Medium

Jade

Dimensions

1.5 × 5.6 × 2.3 cm (9/16 × 2 3/16 × 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection

Reference Number

1950.745

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/70441/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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