Lot 331. Three gold hairpins, chai, Tang-Song dynasty; 3 1/2, 6 1/16 and 7 1/16in (8.9, 15.5 and 18.1cm) (3). Estimate US$ 4,000 - 6,000 (€ 3,400 - 5,100). © Bonhams 2001-2020

All two-tined, including a Tang dynasty hairpin rendered in U-form, cast with a simple bridge-shaped head, and two hairpins of Tang-Song dynasty, each with long tapering prongs, connected to the top with a small saddle-form head.

Note: Compare a similar gold hairpin from the Tang dynasty with a bridge-like head, illustrated in The Golden China, Gold Artifacts of Ancient China, (Nanjing: Nanjing Museum, 2013), p. 318. It is stated in The Art of the Chinese Goldsmith, The Cheng Xun Tang Collection that simple two–pronged hairpins were found in Sui tombs and an early Tang tomb in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province ((Hong Kong: Art Museum, The Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University Hong Kong, 2007), Part II, pp. 140-141. See also a gold hairpin with a double saddle-shaped head, dated to the Tang dynasty, illustrated in Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection by Bo Gyllensvärd , (Stockholm, 1953), p. 104, pl. 46.

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