A BRONZE AND GOLD HARNESS FITTING WARRING STATES PERIOD

composed of a thick bronze ring with three solidly cast gold animal heads attached, their raised heads framed by a furled mane and set with short twisting horns and pointed ears above bulging eyes, the curled nostrils flowing to an open mouth

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 3.

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 2, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 3.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 3

There is extensive malachite green encrustation on the bronze ring and the bases of the three gold-foiled heads. The surface of the gold is slightly pitted and shows some areas of encrustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Compare a very similar bronze and gold fitting, illustrated in Simon Kwan and Sun Ji, Chinese Gold Ornaments, Hong Kong, 2003, cat. no. 60. See also Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith. The Cheng Xun Tang Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. A29.

Fittings like the present example were probably applied to the reins of a harness and examples were discovered in sites associated mostly with the state of Qin in Shanxi and Shaanxi province. A similar ornament cast in bronze and gold was discovered at Fengxiang Doufu village in Shaanxi province, in a large pit filled with the remains of chariots and horses and dated to the Warring States period; another harness ornament by cast in silver and bronze and with the heads turned inwards was unearthed from the tomb of the King of Zhongshan at Pingshan in Hebei province, illustrated in Simon Kwan and Sun Ji, Chinese Gold Ornaments, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 198.