EASTERN HAN DYNASTY (AD25-220)

These rare gold beads are similar to two from a group of gold floral-form beads, of various shapes, all with granulation, illustrated by Yang Boda, 'Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery and Ornamentation', Arts of Asia, vol. 38, no. 2, March-April 2008, p. 101, pl. 43. See, also, the single bead in the Cheng Xun Tang Collection included in the exhibition Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 82-83, no. B05. A bead similar to the two present examples is illustrated by Zhixin Jason Sun et al., with a group of other gold beads, in Age of Empires: Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2017, pp. 196-97, no. 112a-f, where it is dated ca. 1st century BC-2nd century AD. The author notes that gold beads of this type have been found at numerous ancient sites in southeast Asia and China, suggesting that they were "sought-after trade items on the Central, South, and Southeast Asian and Chinese markets." He goes on to propose that they "were likely made in the ancient city of Taxila" as it was a "pivotal junction between South and Central Asia where a large number of such beads have been recovered."