Garment hook

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 222

Belt hooks, which were used to secure the leather belts for warriors, appeared in China in the fifth century B.C. They gradually became status symbols and rank insignia for the privileged class in the following centuries. By the Qing dynasty, they had completely lost their practical function, turning into desktop ornaments for scholarly studios.

Garment hook, Jade (nephrite), China

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