A RARE MALACHITE, LACQUER AND GLASS-DECORATED BRONZE CIRCULAR BUCKLE

WESTERN HAN DYNASTY, DIAN CULTURE, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY BC

Details

A RARE MALACHITE, LACQUER AND GLASS-DECORATED BRONZE CIRCULAR BUCKLE
WESTERN HAN DYNASTY, DIAN CULTURE, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY BC
The concave disc inlaid in the center with a conical glass nipple encircled by triangular arrangements of tiny pierced malachite discs inlaid into red lacquer, with further malachite discs filling the outer field, the convex reverse set off-center with a horizontal angular hook
4¼ in. (10.9 cm.) diam., box

Provenance

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1995.

Exhibited

The Glorious Traditions of Chinese Bronzes, Singapore, 2000, no. 88.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 2002-2006.

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Lot Essay

The pierced malachite discs on this ornament would have been fashioned from slender cylinders of malachite that were then sliced into thin discs. A buckle of this type, of Western Han date, with what are described as turquoise discs, was found hooked into square holes on a gold belt covering excavated from Burial No. 51 at Lijiashan, Jiangchuan county, Yunnan province. Now in the Lijianshan Bronze Museum, the buckle and gold belt, which are illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, Hunting and Rituals: Treasures from the Ancient Dian Kingdom of Yunnan, Hong Kong Museum of History, 2004, no. 69, provide an insight into how these buckles were used and also how lavishly the Dian noblemen dressed. Another similar buckle with agate nipple center is also illustrated, no. 56.

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