A FINE AND RARE SET OF GOLD AND JADE BELT PLAQUES EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, 6TH/4TH CENTURY BC

comprised of five rectangular gold plaques and a single triangular gold plaque, each superbly cast in high relief with a pair of twisted, sharp-clawed dragons, their long sinuous bodies interlinked and forming a dense, intricate design, alternating with five rectangular jade plaques decorated with finely incised commas

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat. no. 2.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 2.

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 2.

All gold plaques show very light overall surface wear and scratching as well as small nibbles and tiny chips to the rims. Some also have traces of corroded iron adhering to the reverse. One jade plaque is calcified (visible in the catalogue illustration second from right), one jade plaque has a hairline crack (ca. 1cm). Some plaques show traces of corroded iron adhering to the reverse.
"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."

Small and finely cast gold plaques of irregular shapes and sizes were probably made as inlays to adorn belts or bronze or iron garment-hooks as a number of finds from Chu State tombs of Warring States date in Henan province suggest. Compare a pair of garment-hooks with similarly inlaid gold and jade plaques discovered in tombs of the Chu state at Xinyang in Henan province, illustrated in Xinyang Chu mu, Beijing, 1986, pls. 64 and 65. For another example in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, see Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480 - 222 B.C., Washington D.C., 1982, cat. no. 51. Compare also a set of five gold plaques of related design and sizes, illustrated in Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith. The Cheng Xun Tang Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. A12.