Crown with Hawk-shaped Finial Cap Warring States Period (475-221BC) Gold, finial height: 7.1 cm, band diameter: 16.5 cm Collection: Museum of Inner Mongolia (Hohhot)

     The cap for this crown was pounded out of gold and then fused with the hawk, which is shown with wings outstretched standing above images of wolves and sheep. The head and neck of the eagle were carved from two pieces of turquoise and tied onto the body with gold filament. The head and neck are therefore movable. The body and wing feathers have been rendered with exceptional finesse. The talons are powerful and rest on a semi-circular sphere sculptured in low relief with images of wolves and sheep struggling. This cap would have been worn along with the accompanying gold headband, which was cast by mold and rendered in a semi-circular form. Composed of two pieces, the top one fits into the bottom with tenon and mortise. Therefore, in front, the band shows as an upper and lower level connected by vertical tenons. The band is decorated at both ends with images in low relief of a reclining tiger, ram, and horse. The other areas of the band are decorated with criss-crossing lines in relief. This unique crown was most likely worn by a ruler of the Hu minority of the Hsiung-nu culture.