公元前5—4世紀 鹿形青銅車軛飾|Yoke ornament in the shape of a deer

Art Historical Context

This exquisite bronze yoke ornament, shaped as a leaping deer, dates to China's Warring States period (475–221 BCE a time of intense cultural and technological innovation amid political fragmentation. Crafted around the 5th–4th century BCE, it once adorned the wooden yoke of a chariot or cart, harnessing the power of horses or oxen for elite transport or warfare. Measuring just 3½ inches high and 3⅞ inches long, its compact form belies its dynamic energy, capturing the deer's graceful mid-stride pose with slender legs, arched back, and alert head—hallmarks of Zhou dynasty animal motifs symboli...