Ritual Disc of Unknown Use
Chinese Artist
This openwork disc epitomizes the Han love of combining a variety of precious materials-turquoise, gilt bronze, silver and glass-to form a single luxurious, multi-colored object. The design brilliantly combines the rotating dynamism of the dragons, their claws grasping each others' bodies around the circumference of the disc, with the heraldic formality of the central quatrefoil.
Purchase: the Lillian M. Diveley Fund
Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.E-9 C.E.)
Gilt bronze, silver plate, turquoise, and glass
0.3 x 5.5 in
2000.11
Image and text: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2023
Where you'll find this
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Permanent collection
