A collection of elegant embellishments spanning more than 2,000 years of Chinese history will be offered at Bonhams New York on 21 September.
Among the 63 lots are gold, silver and bronze accessories such as hair ornaments, earrings, necklaces, bangles, ‘ear cups’, belt hooks and mat weights, as well as other early decorations rarely found on the market.
The first 50 lots come from the RenLu collection, collected over 25 years by the well-known designer, Robert Kuo of Los Angeles.
He formed his collection with a discerning eye for objects spanning all major eras of design and aesthetic appeal in Chinese history. The collection on offer includes pieces from both antiquity and modern representations of classic designs in jewellery and adornments.
Since early times, China has regarded gold and silver as symbols of wealth, power and identity. Because of the scarcity of the precious metal itself, as well as the intricacy and virtuosity of the artisans, refined embellishments were held in high esteem by the imperial family and the aristocracy, serving different functions from currency and reward to tribute and objets d’art.
