A GILT BRONZE ‘TAOTIE MASK’ BELT HOOK, SPRING & AUTUMN TO WARRING STATES PERIOD China, 771 BC to 221 BC. Cast in high relief as an imposing Taotie mask, with almond-shaped eyes and upstanding ears, the hook tapering into a small dragon-head.

Provenance: From the estate of Lim Kee Chin, who was active as Singapore’s trade commissioner in Hong Kong during the 1960s.
Condition: Overall in good condition with significant old wear, signs of weathering and corrosion, minor dents. Solid, naturally grown patina overall with distinct areas of malachite and cuprite encrustation. Remnants of gilt.

Weight: 50.3 g
Dimensions: Length 10.8 cm

Auction result comparison: Compare a related belt hook, dated to the Han dynasty, of similar size (10.5 cm), at Christie’s New York in Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 25 September 2020, Lot 1756, sold for USD 5,000 (part lot).

春秋戰國銅鎏金饕餮紋帶鈎
中國，公元前771至 221 年。高浮雕饕餮紋，大眼，耳朵高竪，龍頭鉤。

來源：Lim Kee Chin收藏，他曾於上世紀六十年代擔任新加坡駐香港貿易代表。
品相：整體狀況良好，有明顯的磨損、風化和腐蝕跡象、輕微凹痕。 整體堅固、包漿自然，有明顯的綠色和褐色結殼區域。鎏金餘留物。

重量：50.3克
尺寸：長10.8 厘米

拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的漢代帶鈎，10.5 厘米，見紐約佳士得Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art2020年9月25日 Lot 1756, 售價USD 5,000 (此號拍品中的一件)。