Lot 347. A gold bracelet, qianzhuo, Liao dynasty; 2 3/4in (7cm) wide. Sold for US$ 10,700 (€ 9,151). © Bonhams 2001-2020

Hammered from a strip of gold, the C-shaped bracelet gently tapering toward each end, and terminated in a carefully rolled scroll, the outer side with three conforming ribs, enclosing two bands of delicately engraved acanthus leaves against a typical punched background.

Note: A slightly more elaborate pair of this general shape from the Liao dynasty was published in Emma Bunker et al Adornment for the Body and Soul: Ancient Chinese Ornaments from the Mengdiexuan Collection (Hong Kong: The University Museum and Art Gallery, 1999), p236.

Compare also, a Liao bracelet similar to the present example illustrated in Chinese Gold Ornaments by Simon Kwan and Sun Ji (Hong Kong: Muwen Tang Fine Art Publication Ltd., 2003), pp. 382-383, pl. 231. Kwan and Sun suggest that the Liao continued stylistic developments dating to the Tang dynasty. See the Tang prototypes published in Zhongguo Gudai Jinyin Shoushi, Yang Zhishui (Beijing: Gugong, 2014), vol. 1, p. 129.

Bonhams. Elegant Embellishments Featuring the RenLu Collectieon, 21 Sep 2020, 10:00 EDT, New York