Bidspirit auction | CHINESE WESTERN HAN GOLD HOOF-SHAPED

CHINESE WESTERN HAN GOLD HOOF-SHAPED INGOT - Ca. 100 - 1 BC. A hoof-shaped gold ingot. The surface bears tooling and casting marks. Around the lower body is an elaborately worked gold filigree band incorporating floral and scroll motifs. This piece is of high historical significance. It was a form of currency during the Western Han dynasty and was usually gifted to royal family members by the emperor. A very well-known example where hundreds of gold ingots as such were excavated was from the tomb of Liu He (92-59 BC), who was enthroned as emperor in 74 BC, shortly deposed after only twenty-seven days. He became known as the Marquis of Haihun. This particular form of gold ingots was named linzhi (qilin-hoof) and mati (horse-hoof) to match auspicious omens: a white qilin unicorn and a “heavenly” horse, by a later emperor in 95 BC. For similar see: Excavation reports on the tomb of the marquis of Haihun. Size: 40mm x 60mm; Weight: 272.56g. Provenance: Prince collection, 1990s-2014; Ex Ben Janssens Oriental art, 11 June 2007. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. A copy of the original invoice will accompany the piece.