The elaborate decoration on this ritual staff employs the technique of damascening, in which the iron surface is first cross-hatched and then filled with soft gold and silver foils. With a thunderbolt (vajra), a skull, two human heads, and an overflowing vase on its handle, this type of staff served as a symbolic destroyer of obstacles to enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhist rites. The design, workmanship, and materials reflect the high standards of court art under the Yongle.
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明永樂 鐵鋄金銀天杖
Title:Ritual staff
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle mark and period (1403–24)
Culture:China
Medium:Iron damascened with gold and silver
Dimensions:H. 17 in. (43.2 cm); W. 3 in. (7.6 cm); D. 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Classification:Metalwork
Credit Line:Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Object Number:2015.500.6.28
Inscription: Inscribed: Yongle nian zhi (made in the Yongle era)
永樂年製
[ Susan B. Levinson & Donald J. Wineman Fine Asian Antiques and Antiquities , New York, until 1987; sold to Irving]; Florence and Herbert Irving , New York (1987–2015; donated to MMA) , New York (1987–2015, on loan to MMA 1993–2015; donated to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Defining Yongle, Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China," April 1–July 10, 2005.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Rugs and Ritual in Tibetan Buddhism," October 7, 2010–June 26, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 15, 2010–December 4, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 3, 2011–December 9, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sacred Traditions of the Himalayas," December 20, 2014–June 14, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection," January 30, 2021–June 5, 2022.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet," September 16, 2024–January 12, 2025.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900," February 27, 2025–September 28, 2025.
Shanghai Museum. "Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900," November 11, 2025–March 16, 2026.
Watt, James C. Y., and Denise Patry Leidy. Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth-Century China. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005, p. 74, pl. 27.
Pengliang Lu. Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900,. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025, pp. 169, 279, fig. 97.
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