plaque BM-1947-0721.3

Period:Shang dynasty Production date:1100BC-900BC (circa)
Materials:bronze
Technique:

Dimensions:Diameter: 10 centimetres

Description:
Bronze harness plaque with human face on the front and two loops on the back.
IMG


Comments:Rawson 1987:This small disc-shaped plaque has two loops on the back through which thongs, part of a harness, may have passed. Although animals and monsters pre-dominated in Shang art, a few human representations have been found, mainly in jade. Slanting eyes, arched brows, a broad nose, full lips and projecting ears, depicted here, are evident on small carvings from Fu Hao’s tomb. A few human heads in ceramic are also known, but bronze representations are much less common. Apart from a famous, but unusual, provincial Shang fang ding from Hunan province, most of the bronzes are chariot or harness fittings.