East Asia, China, Han to Tang dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 907 CE. A bronze cast belt hook depicting a rather voluptuous monkey, perhaps suggesting her fertile and/or motherhood status, displaying an animated pose as if swinging in the trees, with a circular button-like attachment on the back for fastening to a belt. The belt hook was a device used for fastening that predates the belt buckle. The earliest archaeological evidence of belt hooks dates to the 7th century BCE in East Asia. The iconography of this piece was modeled upon the earliest Chinese simian-shaped objects - belt hooks that date from the Eastern Zhou period (ca. 4th to 3rd centuries CE) - depicting a gibbon with outstretched arms and hook-shaped hands like this example. Custom stand. Size: 3.875" L x 2.125" H (9.8 cm x 5.4 cm); 3.125" H (7.9 cm) on stand

Provenance: private York, England collection

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#122782

A wonderful example with stunning age patina and shiny bronze areas including the nipples, curved fingers, and other protruding surfaces.