Straight sword from Tibet, Asia. Owned by Harry Geoffrey
Beasley. Given to the Museum by his wife Irene Marguerite
Beasley in 1941. This heavy, double-edged sword is from Tibet
but it is of a 'Bhutan' type. The hilt is bound in wire and the
wooden scabbard is clad in metal and gilt repoussé panels. It is
richly embellished with Buddhist symbolism on both the pommel
and scabbard. This sword exhibits extensive Buddhist
iconography, Buddhism being the principal religion in Tibet.
This iconography is a hard to distinguish from this photograph
however, and can be more easily seen when viewing the object on
display. Firstly, the pierced gilt pommel shows the Jewel (or
Precious Gem), one of the key symbols representing the power of
the Buddha and spiritual truth in Tibetan Buddhism. The backdrop
of vine-scrolls alludes to the bodhi tree beneath which the
Buddha himself attained Nirvana. There are a number of animals
depicted in the gilt frieze on the scabbard. Four deer and a
peacock are shown surrounded by foliage,