**Originally Listed At $400**

East Asia, China, probably Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1644 CE. A carved stone scabbard slide with a bas relief dragon. The dragon is shown from the side, in a dynamic, leaping pose. The stone is a grey-green with small brown-black inclusions. This is the simpler form of the scabbard slide, consisting of just an enclosed aperture; Trousdale (1975) classifies this shape as Form II, Profile Type A(2). Although stone scabbard slides stopped being utilitarian objects around the first century CE, they continued to be produced for centuries afterwards. Size: 1.8" W x 0.8" H (4.6 cm x 2 cm)

The scabbard slide was invented in the steppes of the southern Ural Mountains 2500 years ago, developed to manage the long iron equestrian sword. In China, nearly all of these objects are made from "jade" in the widest sense; elsewhere, there are also examples in bronze, lacquered wood, gold, and ivory. The purpose of these objects was forgotten until the 20th century, when some were scientifically excavated from undisturbed archaeological contexts. Now we know that the scabbard slide was attached, using silk thread or a thin strip of metal, to a flat or ribbed part of the scabbard, facing away from the body and generally at the balance point. A belt, usually of leather, would go through the slide.

c.f. Trousdale, W. 1975. "The Long Sword and Scabbard Slide in Asia." Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, No. 17.

Provenance: private collection of Dr. Evan Maurer, a former Curator of the Minneapolis Art Institute (USA)

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#132101

Intact, with some wear and patina on surface indicative of its age.