Nine-tasselled crown, bamboo, gold, jade, agate, coral, originally with black gauze, tomb of Zhu Tan (circa 1389), Shandong Museum.

Prince Huang of Lu, son of Zhu Yuanzhang (1368–1644), the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, died of poisonous elixirs at the age of 19 due to his pursuit of immortality. His father, the emperor, bestowed upon him the posthumous title "Huang" (ridiculous).

The Prince’s excavated tomb yielded a wide range of rare artefacts. This nine-tasselled crown for grand official functions is the only surviving example of its type from the Ming dynasty. The crown has a curtain of nine tassels each threaded with nine semi-precious stones hanging at the front and back.

(via Arts of Asia magazine, November–December 2014 issue)