Decorative Objects
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Pole Fitting North China Eastern Zhou period (770-256 BCE), 3rd century BCE Bronze inlaid with silver H. 2 3/4 x L. 7 1/8 x W. 2 1/4 (7 x 18.1 x 5.7 cm) Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.105a, b |
This fitting was probably used as a decorative element for a chariot or palanquin. It consists of two parts joined by a clasp in the shape of a crouching tiger, and it is decorated with silver inlay, which was hammered to create flowing spirals and curves. With the gradual decline in the prestige of ritual vessels from the end of the fifth century BCE, fittings for chariots and other objects became the focus of lavish inlaid decoration.
