475–221 BCE
Bronze inlaid with gold and silver
Overall: 13.1 cm (5 3/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1930.730
This finial is made to be placed on the top of a pole or staff.
Chariots and weapons were associated with hunting and warfare in the ancient world. Those bronze fittings with lavish inlaid decoration were status symbols of rulers and high-ranking officials.
This finial combines extravagance and ferocious beauty to reveal the aesthetics of the time. The birds with hooked beaks are above the intertwined serpent-dragons. Such artistic conception emphasizes the power of the bird in combat. Every facet of this finial is exquisitely crafted to give full play to the inlaid decoration.
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