EASTERN HAN-SIX DYNASTIES PERIOD (AD 25-589)

This small support is powerfully cast with fierce and sharply defined features, including curled horns, bulging eyes, and a blunt snout with pronounced teeth and fangs. The chin rests on a cloven hoof, and the back has a protruding bar for attachment. Gilt-bronze cast masks with similar facial features were used on a variety of Han-dynasty fittings, including a small example (2 ¾ in. wide) of rectangular shape from the Sze Yuan Tang Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 16 September 2010, lot 860.