Three jade 'mask' sword guards and one 'groove' sword guard, Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Warring States period - Han dynasty | 東周戰國晚期至漢 獸面玉劍鐔三件 及 瓦溝紋玉劍鐔一件

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1994-2002.

1994至2002年購於香港

Sword guards are placed in between the hilt and the blade to provide protection to the hand. For comparable examples of the sword guards in the present lot with beast mask, see one with similar decoration and proportion in the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, excavated in Yang Mausoleum of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty, published in Shaanxi Chutu Handai Yuqi [Han Dynasty Jades Unearthed in Shaanxi], Beijing, 2009, pl. 117. See also one excavated form the Western Han tomb of the King of Nanyue,illustrated in Jades from the Tomb of the King of Nanyue, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 221. Compare further two Han-dynasty ‘beast mask’ sword guards in the Palace Musuem, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Beijing, 2011, vol. 4, pls. 28 and 29.

三件獸面紋劍鐔青黃玉質，兩面正中起脊，坡面內凹，兩側變薄，正反面皆淺浮雕卷雲紋組成獸面，眉毛陰刻呈綯繩貌，正中開槽孔。瓦溝紋劍鐔呈菱形，正反皆砣碾出瓦槽，正中開槽孔，餘無他飾，皆打磨光亮如鏡。 

劍鐔又稱劍格，為劍柄與劍身格擋部分，以保護手部。獸面劍鐔可比較陝西省考古研究院藏一例，出自漢陽陵，紋飾、體例皆似，見《陝西出土漢代玉器》，北京，2009年，圖版117。西漢南越王墓出土一例亦資參考，見《南越王墓玉器》，香港，1991年，圖版221。還可比較北京故宮藏兩件漢代獸面玉劍鐔，見《故宮博物院藏品大系玉器編》，北京，2011年，卷4，圖版28及29。