MAG Collection - Harness Ornament with Two Ibexes

Print this page

Harness Ornament with Two Ibexes

199 BCE - 0
2 13/16 x 3 5/8 x 3/8 in. (7.1 x 9.2 x 1 cm)

Chinese artist
China

Chinese; made in the Ordos region

Object Type: Metalwork

Medium and Support: Gilt bronze

Credit Line: Marion Stratton Gould Fund

Accession Number: 1973.66

Location: Currently on view

Link to this object

This gold-covered plaque, made in the Ordos region of Inner Mongolia, shows two ibexes, or wild mountain goats, face to face, their curved horns arching over their backs. Fleet and nimble, the ibex was a favorite subject for artists in many ancient and medieval cultures; tradition holds that an ibex leaping from a mountain would land unharmed on its double scimitar-like horns. The owner of this intricate plaque would have sewn it on clothing or a horse harness as a display of personal wealth and status.
-- from Art at the Crossroads brochure

Provenance

[Possibly David David-Weill (1871-1952), Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, sold at Hotel Drouot, Paris, June 28-29, 1972;] East-West Shop, Victor, NY (dealer); purchased from them by the Gallery in 1973

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword

Chinese

goats

1000 BCE - 500 CE

metalwork

Additional Images Click an image to view a larger version

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Harris K. Prior Memorial Exhibition 4/2/1976 - 5/2/1976

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Article Scope: Reproduction only. Susan Dodge Peters, ed. Memorial Art Gallery: An Introduction to the Collection. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1988.
Article Title: Spotlight Series. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995. Volume Number: 39, Issue Number: 6. Issue Date: February 1974.
Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Rochester Print Co.

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio

This object is a member of the following portfolios:

1000 BCE - 500 CE

All Decorative Arts

Animals in Art

At the Crossroads: Ancient Middle Eastern & Islamic Art

Chinese Art

Metalwork

Passport to the Past

Web Links See links to web pages and lesson plans

MAGexplore MAGexplore provides in-depth information and close looking at over 200 objects in MAG's collection.