Dragon-head ornament
CultureChinese
DateSix Dynasties (220-589 C.E.)
MediumGold with silver amalgam teeth
DimensionsOverall: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 × 1 inches (6.99 × 3.81 × 2.54 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund
Object number2007.15
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe small dragon head is cast in gold, the eyes are painted in black, and its teeth are encrusted in silver. The dragon's open mouth reveals its protuberant silver teeth. The dragon's head is relatively flat and hollow inside. Curvy, additive waves are crisply sculpted on top of the nose and horns. Herringbone-shaped patterns are densely engraved along the edge of the mouth, under the chin, between the eyes, inside the ears, and the rear of the head. The rear of the head is cast with upper and lower narrow extensions that originally held another supporting object.
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