Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hair Ornament, one of a pair

China

Date

11th century

Medium

Gold

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

These beautiful hairpins are decorated with imaginative floral blossoms intricately fashioned from gold sheet wire hammered, incised, and soldered together. On each pin is a double overlapping prunus blossom within a six-petal wire flower with five thin serrated-edged leaves. The floral style derives from Tang dynasty (618-906) gold and silver hair ornaments, which were popular with the aristocracy. Upper-class women of Tang, Song (960-1279), and Liao (916-1125) required a variety of hair combs and pins to maintain the elaborate hairstyles that were fashionable. A number of gold broaches and hairpins similar in style and technique to these have been excavated from Liao tombs. China, Asia

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