WARRING STATES PERIOD, 4TH-3RD CENTURY BC

Such fittings were originally made and used in pairs, attached to the front of a chariot to support a cross-bow. The weapon would have rested across the curved neck of the dragon, with the stock braced against the upper section of the chariot. Positioned in this way, the trigger mechanism remained within easy reach of the charioteer, while the projecting element of the fitting could be used to assist in drawing back the bowstring. Comparable silver-inlaid bronze fittings of this type, dating to the Eastern Zhou period (4th–3rd century BC), are illustrated in the catalogue accompanying the Eskenazi exhibition Early Chinese Art from Tombs and Temples, London, 8 June–9 July 1993, no. 10.