A rare gold, silver and turquoise-inlaid bronze garment hook, Eastern Zhou dynasty, 4th century BC | 東周公元前四世紀 銅錯金銀嵌綠松石鳥獸紋帶鉤

Eskenazi Ltd, London, June 1996.

埃斯卡納齊，倫敦，1996年6月

With its slender form topped with a gleaming dragon head, this garment hook (daigou) is an exquisite example of the tradition of inlaid bronze belt hooks. Remarkable for its intricate use of gold, silver and turquoise, an astounding amount of which remains intact and preserved with its original lustrous colour, this piece reflects the secularisation of the bronze industry and the broadening distribution of wealth that accompanied the waning years of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. 

A small number of garment hooks of this type are known. Compare a very similar garment hook inlaid with turquoise illustrated in Early Chinese Art from Tombs and Temples, Eskenazi Ltd., London, 1993, cat. no. 13, now in the Uldry Collection, illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1994, cat. no. 36; and another similar turquoise-inlaid belt hook, sold in our New York rooms, 20th September 2022, lot 26.