Item does not include the original alva box.

Dragon
 

The most precious possession of the Japanese warrior was his sword, and for centuries in Japan, schools of metalworkers devoted themselves exclusively to the manufacture and decorating of swords.  The Japanese sword has long been admired and respected, not only for its beauty and superb craftsmanship, but also for its lethal effectiveness.

 

The zenith of sword manufacture in Japan was reached between the 13th and 16th centuries, a period when the country was ruled by military overlords and frequently torn by internal strife.  In later, more peaceful times, when the need for the sword as an instrument of war was not as great, the various decorative elements became increasingly elaborate.  Among these were the menuki or hilt ornaments.  Made in pairs, they were placed on either side of the hilt and serve not only to decorate the sword but also to strengthen the grip.

 

The dragon, in Chinese and Japanese mythology, is a most powerful and beneficent creature and is one of the most popular motifs found in Japanese decorative art.

 

Athorized, copyrighted reproduction made from the original at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in metal, gold electroplated, by Alva Museum Replicas, Inc.  Long Island City,  New York.

Alva Studios, operated by Alfred Wolkenberg. Alfred was born in Vienna in 1911 and immigrated to the US in 1939. In 1948 he founded Alva Studios of Long Island City, NY. He had many artists and designers who were commissioned to produce reproductions of priceless ancient jewelry and sculpture. The pieces were marked Alva Museum Replicas and sold at famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art ( MMA ), Smithsonian Institute ( SI ), The Louvre, The Art Institute of Chicago, etc...