Chinese Han Dynasty Bronze Chariot Axle Hub, XRF'd

East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. A large cast bronze hub from a chariot wheel, with a broad, near flat, round flange and a wide mouthed socket. The outward facing side of the flange has incised, stippled abstract motifs - crescent forms, long bars full of dots that look like hanging sashes, and long, curved bands, also full of dots. The extending socket is also decorated with similar motifs on its exterior. Chinese chariots were powerful weapons of war, introduced in the Shang Dynasty ca. 1250 BCE and particularly used from the 8th to 5th centuries BCE. By the Han Dynasty, they had been superseded by cavalry on the battlefield, but they remained important status symbols - for example, there were 140 chariots buried with the famous Terracotta Army (ca. 210 BCE). This bronze hub would have graced a chariot in a tomb belonging to an elite individual. Size: 2.75" diameter x 11" H (7 cm x 27.9 cm)

Provenance: private Los Angeles County, California, USA collection, acquired by descent from the owner's father, collection amassed between 1950-1990

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#148836
Condition Report: Small loss to one edge and side. Rich mottled patina on surface with turquoise and russet hues. Many of the motifs are still visible.