Unknown
Two pairs of harness cheek pieces
Details
Artist
Unknown
Title
Two pairs of harness cheek pieces
Date
Zhou dynasty (about 1100-256 BC)
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H: 12.7 cm.
Reference
CVCSC 0392.1.1-2.A & 0392.2.2.1-2.A
Collection
Status
On Display
Chariots would have been pulled by two horses during the Shang dynasty (about 1500-1050 BC) but, by the time of the Eastern Zhou dynasty’s Spring and Autumn period (770-475 BC), four horses were often used in order to increase a chariot’s speed in combat. These pieces are likely to have been used on the bridle helping to hold the bit in the horse’s mouth.
Two pairs of harness cheek pieces Zhou dynasty (about 1100-256 BC) © Compton Verney
Two pairs of harness cheek pieces Zhou dynasty (about 1100-256 BC) © Compton Verney
© Compton Verney