Two Gilt-Bronze Garment Hooks

WARRING STATES PERIOD/HAN DYNASTY, 4TH-3RD CENTURY BC

Details

Two Gilt-Bronze Garment Hooks
Warring States period/Han dynasty, 4th-3rd century BC
The larger cast as a sinuous dragon with head shown in profile, with a small dragon-head hook, and a small button on the underside; the other cast in relief as a taotie mask, the eyes inlaid with two glass beads, with small dragon-head hook at one end, and button on the underside
7 and 3¾in. (17.8 and 9.5cm.) long, two boxes, one stand
Falk Collection nos. 534 and 545. (2)

Provenance

Smaller hook: Mathias Komor, New York, September 1946.

Exhibited

Taotie mask hook: on loan: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1965 [no. L.65.46.9.].

Lot Essay

A similar dragon-form belthook from the Wessén Collection is illustrated by B. Karlgren in "Chinese Agraffes in Two Swedish Collections", B.M.F.E.A., No. 38, Stockholm, 1966, pl. 62, no. O 14 W. In the same article, Karlgren also illustrates several similar examples of taotie-mask garment hooks from the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm; see pl. 78, nos. S 5 and S 15.

More from THE FALK COLLECTION II: CHINESE AND JAPANESE WORKS OF ART

View All