Bidspirit auction | A Pair of Chinese Twin

A Pair of Chinese Twin Swords (Shuangjian) in Shared Scabbard, Late 19th to Early 20th Century - This lot features a pair of Chinese straight swords, known as shuangjian, designed with a flat interior profile to fit together within a single shared scabbard. The double-edged steel blades are decorated with extensive brass wire inlay depicting celestial dragons, the Seven Stars (Big Dipper constellation), various figures representing deities or immortals, and various Chinese characters and talismans. The cast and chased brass hilt fittings, including the guards and pommels, feature dragon and floral motifs in low relief. The grips are fashioned from panels of incised and inked bone or ivory, decorated with figures, landscape elements such as pine trees and mountains, and floral designs. The brass guards are incised with characters reading Qianlong Nian Zhi, and the pommels show the characters Da Qing. Combined, these represent the apocryphal reign mark Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi, indicating Made during the reign of Qianlong of the Great Qing. Rectangular seal marks on the blades near the guards repeat this six-character reign mark in seal script. The wooden scabbard is finished in black lacquer and is mounted with five brass fittings, including a throat, a chape, and three bands, two of which possess suspension loops. While bearing marks for the Qianlong Emperor (reigned 1735–1796), the style of metalwork and engraving is characteristic of swords produced in the late 19th or early 20th century (Late Qing Dynasty to Early Republic Period). Overall length in scabbard: 33 inches.