Page 40 - March 16, 2017 Chinese Art, The Harris Collection, Christies

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TWO BRONZE ‘ANIMAL’ OPENWORK BELT HOOKS
832 NORTH OR NORTHWEST CHINA, 5TH CENTURY
38 THE HARRIS COLLECTION: BC

IMPORTANT EARLY CHINESE ART One inlaid in turquoise has a long-necked hook that
issues from the mouth of a dragon, its openwork body
curved around to form one side while the other side is
formed by an animal biting the neck of the dragon, a loop
projecting from the edge of this animal suspends a linked
chain, and a button is on the reverse. The other is cast as
three animals, two shown recumbent facing in opposite
directions, the uppermost with the head of a smaller
animal in its jaws. A hook projects from one edge and a
button is on the reverse.
3¡ and 2√ in. (8.7 and 7.2 cm.) wide

(2)

$2,000-3,000

PROVENANCE

The Erwin Harris Collection, Miami, Florida, by 1995.

LITERATURE

J. F. So and E. C. Bunker, Traders and Raiders on China’s
Northern Frontier, Washington D.C., Arthur M. Sackler
Gallery, 1995, p. 173, fg. 99.1 (hook) and p. 176, no. 103
(hook with chain).

公元前五世紀 中國北部或西北部 青銅帶鈎兩件

832
TWO BRONZE BELT HOOKS
NORTHEAST CHINA, 6TH CENTURY BC

One is cast as a recumbent tiger with backward-turned
head, a hook extends from one edge and a circular button
is on the reverse. The smaller is cast as a recumbent
horse with tiny circular cells for inlay, its tail forming the
hook and with two buttons on the reverse.
4¿ and 2¡ in. (10.5 and 6 cm.) wide

(2)

$2,000-3,000

PROVENANCE

The Erwin Harris Collection, Miami, Florida, by 1995.

LITERATURE

J. F. So and E. C. Bunker, Traders and Raiders on China’s
Northern Frontier, Washington D.C., Arthur M. Sackler
Gallery, 1995, pp. 168 (tiger) and 170 (horse), nos. 94
(tiger) and 96 (horse).

In Traders and Raiders on China’s Northern Frontier,
p. 170, J. F. So suggests that the small horse-shaped
fastener with the hook and two buttons, rather than
the usual single button, might have been attached to
the belt vertically, with the buttons inserted through
slits in the belt and the hook used to suspend personal
accessories. Also illustrated, fg. 96.1, is another similar
horse-shaped belt hook from Jundushan, Yanqing Xuan,
north of Beijing.

公元前六世紀 中國北部 青銅獸紋帶鈎兩件