China, Xuande period, 1425-1435, or slightly later. The fragment is intricately crafted in openwork with the head of a Buddhist lion with bushy scrolling mane and bulging eyes, as well as a sinuous dragon soaring amid clouds and wispy flames, all below a minutely beaded border.

Provenance: A notable private collector in Kensington, London, United Kingdom, acquired in the Hong Kong trade. Sotheby’s London, 11 May 2022, lot 58, estimate GBP 12,000 or approx. EUR 17,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
Condition: The fragment in good condition with old wear, expected dents and losses, few old soldering marks, minuscule nicks to edges.

Weight: 19.8 g
Dimensions: Length 13.6 cm

With an associated wood storage box. (2)

This luxuriant gold ornament evokes the opulent life at the Ming court during the 15th century. As one of the most valuable materials, gold was limited in its use by Ming sumptuary laws and was largely restricted to members of the Imperial family. Hardly any comparable gold ornaments have survived, making the current lot exceedingly rare.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related gold ornament with dragons, dated Song to Ming, in the Mengdiexuan Collection and included in the exhibition Gold and Treasures: 3,000 years of Chinese Ornaments at l’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts, Paris, 1 December 2022-14 April 2023. Compare a related gold hairpin with a lion, dated to the Ming dynasty, unearthed from the tomb of Wang Wenyuan’s wife in Pingwu, Sichuan, in the collection of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archeology Research Institute, exhibited by the Shenzhen Museum, 19 January-28 March 2021. Compare the famous pair of gold plaques set with semi-precious stones from the Xuande period, with a pierced design of two dragons pursuing a flaming pearl among clouds, formerly in the collections of George Eumorfopoulos and Sir Bernard Eckstein, Bart, and now in the British Museum, reference number 1949,1213.1-2.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 26 March 2010, lot 1298
Price: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 38,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare gold filigree hair ornament, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: This similarly rare gold hair ornament is of a different type than the present lot and was meant to be used as a cap for a man's topknot. Note the size (12 cm) and weight (97.9 g).