Warring States period, Ca. 475–221 BC. An S-shaped curved gilded bronze belt hook surmounted by a small dragon head with a long slender neck that curves gracefully to a broader body and a taotie mask end. Finely engraved volutes form a beautifully laid out geometric pattern. The reverse is set with a round button for fastening to a belt. The Warring States period was one of the most fertile and influential in Chinese history. It not only saw the rise of many of the great philosophers of Chinese civilization, including the Confucian thinkers Mencius and Xunzi, but also witnessed the establishment of many of the governmental structures and cultural patterns that were to characterize China for the next 2,000 years. Dragons were commonly depicted on belt hooks during the Warring States period. See, for instance, the faceted bronze belt hook decorated in gold and silver inlay with intertwined dragons illustrated by J. M. White and E. C. Bunker in the catalogue for the exhibition, 'Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament', Denver Art Museum, 1994, p. 189, no. 101. This piece has undergone X-Ray Fluorescence analysis by an independent Belgian Laboratory. The samples collected show the chemical composition to reflect the typical metal contents of the described period, whilst also showing no modern trace elements in the patina.Size: L:195mm / W:40mm ; 130gProvenance: UK private collection; formerly acquired in the early 1990s in Hong Kong.