CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

The high relief of the bronze and jade on the
upper surfaces of the headrest contrasts with the
markedly flatter designs on the side plaques. Each
of the four larger rectangular plaques, two on one
side, two on the other, with angled upper corners,
frames an S-shaped tigerlike creature twisting to
face the viewer. These creatures, displayed in profile
with striated, curling tails, closely resemble the
feline dragons depicted in other works in this exhibition
(cats. 141,145). It seems likely that these
feline creatures derive from animal representations
on gold or bronze plaques and harness ornaments
from present-day Inner Mongolia and southern
Siberia. Transformed into jade, they have been
fully assimilated into their new context. 3
The four smaller plaques that form the bodies
of the main creatures of the headrest are D-shaped
and have narrow slots carved within them; it seems
likely that they were originally parts of pendant
sets. Each comprises two S-shaped dragons backing
onto each other; their contours form the curved
edge of the plaque, and a small flattened diskshaped
object lies between their tails. The plaques
at each end of the headrest also seem to represent
varieties of S-shaped dragons. One bears traces of a
suspension hole, and the head of a dragon looking
back over its body can be discerned; it is possible
that this piece and its simpler tandem at the other
end of the headrest were originally intended for
other uses. Such an interpretation is supported by
jades in the headrest of Dou Wan, a similar (albeit
much less elegant) example. The two long sides
include sections of bi disks cut to fit the rectangle,
and squared fragments similarly compose the top
and two ends; the original patterns (criss-crosses,
animal scroll borders) and composition of these
constituent pieces remain clearly evident in this
adaptation.
A somewhat more complex composition can
be observed on the headrest from the Houloushan
tomb (fig. i). In this example, four creatures form
the metal framework, their feet supporting the
headrest itself, while their heads decorate the
corners of the upper surface. Fragments of two
S-shaped dragon pendants compose the top, and
a piece of another dragon pendant forms one of
the sides; jade plaques have been used to fill in
extra space. The headrest is particularly interesting
for the small, framelike device at the center of
one side, flanked by two monster faces with ring
handles. JR
394 EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA