1-233-724 - The Museum of East Asian Art/Heritage Images

Bronze finial in the shape of an animal, Eastern Zhou dynasty, China, 5th century BC. Shaped like a crouching animal whose open mouth forms a circular ring, this bronze has a detailed surface, with small raised dots and furry striations to suggest the pelt, the back with intaglio marks decoration. This small finial would have fitted over a shaft and must have been intended to hold something in a circular ring. It was possibly part of a chariot parasol.