Touch the ancient world – own a piece of history – but remember it belongs to all humanity
Touch the ancient world – own a piece of history – but remember it belongs to all humanity
$1,250.00
Hollow cast bronze. The finial’s tapering conical shaft cast is in the form of a bird of prey’s neck with a massive hooked beak and abstractly modeled prominent eyeballs. There are several holes at the shaft for attachment to the wood. H. 1.2″ (3.0 cm).
Finials of this type, but larger, must be mounted on poles and were used for cultic purposes. Most likely the depicted bird is a scavenger, whose image is strongly connected to the underworld. See: E.C.Bunker, J.F. So. Traders and Raiders on China’s Northern Frontier. Smithsonian Institution, 1995, pg. 121, cat.38.