Thai Ban Chiang Bronze Bracelet

Ban Chiang Culture, c. 300 BC – 150 AD, Northeastern Thailand, Southeast Asia

An impressive cast leaded-bronze arm ring from the Ban Chiang culture of prehistoric Northeast Thailand or Laos. Expertly shaped with a cylindrical profile, the bracelet is adorned with repeated low-relief plaited design — a decorative vocabulary that resonates with the visual traditions of neighboring Đông Sơn art from northern Vietnam.

Though now beautifully encrusted with age, the elegant form and rhythmic ornamentation remain clearly visible. Such bold, sculptural bracelets were high-status adornments often found in Ban Chiang burial contexts. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, they symbolized prestige and ritual significance, embodying the metallurgical mastery and sophisticated artistry of early Southeast Asian societies.

Good condition. Intact. Age-related heavy wear, corrosion and abrasion. Attractive encrustred pale greyish green patina and rich earthen deposits across the surface. Size approx. 7,1cm x 7,0cm x 0,5cm. 

Provenance: Danish private collection

References and further reading: 

Dating Early Bronze at Ban Chiang, Thailand, Joyce C. White, University of Pennsylvania Museum, 2008 (https://os.pennds.org/archaeobib_filestore/pdf_articles/bookchapters/2008_White.pdf)

Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2A: Background to the Study of the Metal Remains, Joyce C. White and Elizabeth G. Hamilton, eds, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2018 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv16t6dk2.)