garment-hook BM-1947-0712.430

Period:Eastern Zhou dynasty Production date:3rdC BC (circa)
Materials:bronze, gold,
Technique:gilded
Subjects:dragon
Dimensions:Length: 21.30 centimetres

Description:
Garment-hook. In the shape of a dragon. Made of gilded bronze.
IMG


Comments:Rawson 1987:Garment hooks, or belt-hooks, as they are often called, originated in the early Eastern Zhou. Examples from the middle Yellow River basin are thought to be the earliest in date. They remained current throughout the Eastern Zhou and Han periods, at the end of which they were replaced by belt buckles. They were made in a variety of styles. Hooks with flat gilded surfaces are generally described as chip-carved and were possibly made in imitation of wood. Similar hooks have come from tombs in Shanxi and Henan.