Gold Flower Zan

This gold flower hairpin is a "Top Pin", worn in the center of the bun. This pin was found in Prince Zhuang's coffin, and may have been used by the prince. The head of the pin is a peony flower with four layers of eight petals each. The veins of each petal are meticulously patterned and stamens are added between each layer of petals. Each petal was hammered individually. A sheet of gold was placed on to the petal mold and repeatedly hammered to produce the veins. Then, twisted gold wires were used to fix the petals to the pin.