Cylinder
Unknown Artist
7th century or earlier
Medium
Green jasper
Dimensions
L. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm) - 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm) for 12.37.51-60
Classification
Jewelry
Culture & Period
Japan · Kofun period (ca. 300–710)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1912
Accession Number
12.37.56
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, this set of ten delicate green jasper cylinders (ion nos. 12.37.51–60) hails from Japan's Kofun period (. 300–710 CE), a time of monumental keyhole-shaped burial mounds and the rise of powerful clans. Dating to the 7th century or earlier, these tiny jewels—measuring just 3/4 to 1 3/8 inches (1.9–3.5 cm) long—were crafted as adornments, likely strung into necklaces or sewn onto garments for elite burials or ceremonial wear. Carved from lustrous green jasper, a durable semi-precious stone imported or sourced locally, the cylinder...