A Trio of Chinese Swords Joins the Accidental Collection

[Philip]

Thanks, Lee. You confirmed my initial suspicion about color difference between the components. I agree that the scabbard finish and the metal hardware are not new, they have some age though not likely "born together" with the blade. The wooden parts were fabricated to fit the blade at the time that the metal parts were assembled and installed, whenever that was. My guess is ca. 1900 or early in the last century. An altogether interesting and intriguing piece.

The red pigment in the fullers is lacquer, it was a form of decoration occasionally done, generally on better blades. Sometimes the fullers were lined in gold. Here is a very fine example, 17th through first half 18th cent., very subdued aesthetic but with channels lined in lacquer and gold, on display at the Museum of the Peoples Liberation Army, Beijing.