Lot 815. A bronze openwork belt hook, circa 5th-3rd century BC. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017.

The rectangular belt hook is cast in openwork with a fleeing stag being attacked from behind by a wolf, a hook is at one end and a circular button is on the reverse. There is malachite encrustation on both sides. 5 ¼ in. (13.5 cm.) wide, box

Provenance: The Erwin Harris Collection, Miami, Florida, 1990.

Note: Compare the larger (8 in. long) bronze openwork belt hook of this type, ascribed to Northwest China, 3rd century BC, illustrated by E. C. Bunker et al., Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002, p. 148, no. 124, where the similarly-shaped outer border encloses an openwork scene of a wolf attacking a dzo.

Christie's. The Harris Collection: Important Early Chinese Art, 16 March 2017, New York, Rockefeller Center