Olivia Xu
Associate Specialist
THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
女士藏品
女士藏品
Lot 306
A GILT-BRONZE HARDTONE-INLAID BELT-HOOK AND A BRONZE TUNING KEY Han Dynasty
2 November 2023, 15:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
A GILT-BRONZE HARDTONE-INLAID BELT-HOOK AND A BRONZE TUNING KEY
Han Dynasty
The curved hook, cast as a large head of a bird with curved beak and almond-shaped turquoise-blue stone inlay for the eye, leading to a dragon-head terminal, the reverse with circular stud, stand, 9.5cm (3 3/4in) long; the tuning key of circular form cast with a bear, wood stand, 4.3cm (1 3/4in) diam. (4).
The curved hook, cast as a large head of a bird with curved beak and almond-shaped turquoise-blue stone inlay for the eye, leading to a dragon-head terminal, the reverse with circular stud, stand, 9.5cm (3 3/4in) long; the tuning key of circular form cast with a bear, wood stand, 4.3cm (1 3/4in) diam. (4).
Footnotes
漢 銅鎏金嵌石獸首帶鉤 及青銅熊首鈕飾匙 一組兩件
Provenance: Nakamura, June 1982
Bluett and Sons Ltd., London, 31 March 1983
An English private collection, and thence by descent
來源：Nakamura，1982年6月
倫敦古董商Bluett and Sons Ltd.，1983年3月31日
英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今
In ancient China, belt hooks were a functional accessory designed to secure the two ends of a leather or fabric belt together, thus keeping the tunic or robe tightly wrapped around the waist. Belt hooks like the present example were used from at least the 6th century BC. They were symbols of status and authority and the highest-ranking members of society would have worn belt hooks made of gilt bronze, or bronze inlaid with gold, silver, turquoise or malachite.
Compare with a related bronze belt hook with inlaid decoration, Han dynasty, from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, illustrated in Traders and Raiders on China's Northern Frontier, Washington, 1995, no.75.
Additional information
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