Art Institute of Chicago

Tubular Fitting

China

Date: Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period (480–221 B.C.), 4th/3rd century B.C.
Medium: Bronze inlaid with gold and silver
Culture: China
Department: Arts of Asia
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

Sumptuously inlaid bronze tubes were designed as fittings for weapons, scepters, and chariots. This hexagonal fitting was probably a ferrule ( dun ), used to cap the lower end of a wood shaft for a bronze halberd. In its remarkable fluency, the inlaid design of volutes and spirals was largely inspired by contemporary lacquer painting.

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