A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE 'CAMEL AND RIDER' PLAQUES

Warring States Period - Western Han Dynasty

Footnotes

戰國至西漢 鎏金銅胡人騎駱駝牌飾一對

This present lot depicting a foreign rider on a camel showcases the cultural fusion along the ancient Silk Road through exquisite craftsmanship and unique subject matter. The plaques employ a combination of high relief and openwork techniques to vividly depict the foreign rider atop his camel: the animal's twin humps rise prominently, its coat rendered with dense incised lines, and its muscular contours depicted with powerful, vigorous strokes. The foreigner, with a high nose and deep-set eyes, wears his hair loose and is beardless. His arms encircle the camel's hump as he leans forward, seemingly guiding the beast across the vast sea of sand. The bronze body is gilded, its gold still radiant after over two millennia. Where the gilding has partially flaked away, patches of verdigris reveal the copper beneath, adding to the sense of historical patina.

Camels were rare in the Central Plains. With Emperor Wu of Han's expansion into the Western Regions and the flourishing Silk Road trade, these 'ships of the desert' gradually became symbols of exotic culture and commercial wealth. The depiction of the foreign rider on a camel in this plaque may represent a real-life caravan of merchants, while also subtly conveying the historical narrative of the Han Empire's frontier expansion. From a craftsmanship perspective, the perfect fusion of nomadic peoples' tradition of valuing gold with the gilding techniques of the Central Plains fully reflects the material cultural exchange among ethnic groups at the time. Such plaques served either as belt ornaments or tent decorations, functioning not only practically but also as symbols of status and authority.

此對牌飾以其精湛工藝和獨特題材展現了古代絲綢之路的文化交融。牌飾採用高浮雕與鏤空技法相結合，生動塑造了胡人騎駱駝的形象：駱駝雙峰高聳，周身毛髮以細密陰線刻畫，肌肉線條遒勁有力；胡人高鼻深目，披髮無鬚，雙臂環抱駝峰，身體前傾，仿佛正在駕馭駱駝穿越茫茫沙海。青銅胎體表面施以鎏金工藝，歷經兩千餘年仍金光熠熠，局部金層剝落處露出的銅銹綠斑更添歷史滄桑感。

駱駝在中原地區本屬罕見，隨著漢武帝開拓西域、絲綢之路貿易興盛，這種「沙漠之舟」逐漸成為異域文化和商業財富的象徵。牌飾中胡人騎駱駝的組合，既可能是商旅駝隊的真實寫照，也隱含著漢帝國邊疆擴張的歷史敘事。從工藝特徵來看，遊牧民族尚金的傳統與中原鎏金技術的完美結合，充分體現了當時各民族間的物質文化交流。此類牌飾或用於腰帶裝飾，或作為帳幕懸掛之物，不僅具有實用功能，更是身份與權力的象徵。其藝術價值與歷史意義，使之成為研究中國古代北方遊牧文化與絲綢之路文明的重要實物資料。