Wei Asian Arts Chinese
and Southeast Asian Works of Art
Bronze
buckle ornament
Yunnan province, China
Dian Kingdom (Western Han period, 2nd - 1st century BC)
Bronze with lacquered design, turquoise and red cornelian
Diam: 12.5 cm
The
buckle is inlaid with a large band of turquoise disks surrounding
a smaller band of turquoise disks and black-lacquer triangles, the
two bands divided by a thin bronze ridge. A red cornelian button decorates
the center of the buckle ornament.
The buckle
was cast by lost-wax process and was designed with sunken reserves
to accommodate the inlays. On the reverse is palced a horizontal hook.
Some remains of the textile are still visible.