Tiger Claw Jewel
Unknown Artist
7th century or earlier
Medium
Jasper, agate, jadeite and steatite for 12.37.26–.32, .71
Dimensions
L. 1/2 in. (1.3 cm) - 5/8 in. (1.6 cm) for 12.37.26-32, 71
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
12.37.27
Art Historical Context
Step into the enigmatic world of ancient Japan with the *Tiger Claw Jewels*, a exquisite set of small pendants from the Kof period (ca. 300–710 CE). Craft in the 7th or earlier by an unknown artist, these delicate pieces—measuring just 1/2 to 5/8 inch (1.3–1.6 cm) long—evoke the fierce power of a tiger's claw. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 2 and now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Asian Art Department they represent rare surviving jewelry from Japan's formative era of monumental keyhole-shaped tombs. These jewels, classified as elite adornments, were likely grave goods buried wi...