Golden Beast

The Western Han Dynasty Golden Beast is a 2,100-year-old gold artifact, now housed in the Nanjing Museum. Discovered in 1982 at a hoard in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, it weighs 9,100 grams (99% gold purity) and measures 17.5 cm long, 16 cm wide, and 10.2 cm tall—about the size of a small domestic cat but nearly 10 times heavier. This hollow-bodied, thick-walled golden creature features a unique combination of casting and hammering techniques, with its entire surface decorated with intricate circular patterns. Its interior bears an inscription “Huang Liu” (Yellow Six), likely indicating its production sequence. As China’s heaviest ancient gold artifact ever unearthed, it represents the pinnacle of Western Han metalworking. 西汉金兽是一件有 2100 年历史的黄金文物，现藏于南京博物院。1982 年出土于江苏省盱眙县南窑庄窖藏，重 9100 克（含金量 99%），长 17.5 厘米、宽 16 厘米、高 10.2 厘米，大小如一只小型家猫，重量却近 10 倍。这件空腹厚壁的黄金瑞兽采用铸造与捶击工艺完美结合的技法制成，通体装饰精细的圆形锤纹。腹内壁刻有 “黄六” 铭文，推测 “黄” 指黄金材质，”六” 为制作序号。作为中国迄今出土最重的古代黄金器物，它代表了西汉时期金属工艺的巅峰。