JewelryEast Asian6th-5th century BCE

Appliqué in the Shape of a Stag

600-400 BCE

Description

Small, flat appliqué in the shape of a stag with its legs folded under the body. The animal is simplified and essentially reduced to its silhouette. There is no attachment loop at the back, but the piece could easily have been sewn onto a garment by making use of the openings below antler and belly. Stags with folded legs and prominent antlers were a popular motif across the Eurasian steppes. Small bronze garment plaques with similar stag imagery have been found in northeastern China, a mountainous region where deer would have been a common sight. Dark grayish patina.

Classification

Jewelry

Technique

Cast

Medium

leaded bronze

Culture

East Asian

Period

Zhou dynasty, Eastern Zhou period, 770-256 BCE

Century

6th-5th century BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

1.9 x 2.4 cm (3/4 x 15/16 in.)

Provenance

William D. Vogel (H’30), Milwaukee, WI (by 1930-1980), inherited; by Virginia Booth Vogel, Milwaukee, WI (1980-1998), by descent; to Frederick Vogel III, Milwaukee, WI (1998-2016), gift; to The Harvard Art Museums.