A RARE PAIR OF SILVER AND GOLD WIRE-INLAID BRONZE DRAGON-HEAD FITTINGS

The present pair of fittings, with their powerful sculptural modeling of the dragon heads, the robust geometric motifs, and the expressive features, are closely related to the works from the late 4th century BC tomb of King Cuo of Zhongshan. See, a pair of gold dragon-form finials illustrated in Zhongguo kaogu wenwu zhimei, vol. 6: Hebei Pingshan Zhoangshanguo wang mu, Beijing, 1994, pl.58, where the eyes of the Heibei pair are identified as glass and are very similar to those inlaid in the present pair. See, also, the gold finials with abstract geometric designs comparable to the present pair illustrated in ibid., pl. 29 and p. 141 (lower right).