A pair of gilt-bronze 'tiger' chariot yoke fittings, Western Han dynasty | 西漢 鎏金銅虎首車馬器一對

Excavations have revealed that these intriguing fittings are chariot ornaments once used to crown the curved ends of the yoke that was fitted around the horse's neck. Similar 'tiger' fittings, either gilt-bronze or gilt-and-silvered bronze, were excavated in the Han Tombs of Mancheng, Heibei province. See the excavation report, Mancheng Hanmu Fajue Baogao [Excavation of the Han Tombs at Mancheng], vol. 1, Beijing, 1980, p. 322-3, fig. 219-1 for illustration and fig. 215 for a reconstructed diagram showing where these fittings were originally placed. A similar example was included in the exhibition Inlaid Bronze and Related Material from Pre-Tang China, Eskenazi, London, 1991, cat. no. 23.

根據考古研究發現，此類車馬器為軛軥，套於扼夾服馬之頸、呈「人」字形的軛肢末端。河北滿城漢墓出土數件軛軥，型態相若，瑞獸雙目前視，獸頸開口作三鋸齒形，圖載於《滿城漢墓發掘報告》，上冊，北京，1980年，頁 322-3，圖 219-1；圖 215 為重組圖，展示軛軥位置。另可參考一相類器，展覽於《Inlaid Bronze and Related material from Pre-Tang China》，埃斯卡納齊，倫敦，1991年，編號 23。