Inventory

Leather Quiver

Full Description:

An exceptionally rare Chinese quiver from the late Ming or early Qing dynasties. The edge is trimmed with green ray skin and the front is mounted with iron fittings, including a small ribbon-ended square at the top left, three ovals at the base of three slits (which are designed to hold special arrows), a central round fitting, and a long band running along the base. Two fixtures are missing from the right side. These are all gilded openwork of extremely high quality with overlapping bifurcating scrolls set with corals and turquoises—a testament to the age of the quiver.

The rear is plain and omits extra pockets unlike the more commonly found Qing quivers, instead having three suspension loops which would help to counterbalance it on the wearer’s hip. Inside are several layers of thick wool for the safe separation and storage of arrows.

While similar quivers are present in the Palace Museum in Beijing[1] the appearance of one in a Western museum or on the open market is an extremely rare occurrence, the only known exception being an example offered on the UK art market approximately 12 years ago.