The face of the war god, carved close.

The God of War (Guan Gong) Face Rectangular Pendant is a portrait rather than a scene — the head fills the entire plate, cropped at the crown and the beard, the way a bust is cropped. Everything else on the piece exists to frame it.

The face is the still point: heavy straight brow, narrowed phoenix eyes, a broad nose, all left in a soft satin so the flat planes of the cheeks read clearly. The moustache splits into two carved sweeps and the beard falls in long separated strands that run past the bottom edge of the plate — the one place the carving is allowed to break the rectangle.

Above sits the general’s crown, built up in stepped tiers with a raised panel at the front, a studded band running the brow line, and side wings folding back behind the temples.

Two dragons climb the sides, scaled bodies worked into the margins with a horned head surfacing at the upper corner. Cloud spirals fill the corners and a beaded band closes the lower edge, so the outline is set by the carving instead of by a ruled frame.

The finish does the work: satin on the face and beard, bright polish on the crown, the scales and the clouds. Set against all that movement, the expression stays completely still.

Guan Yu was a general of the Later Han who was deified for keeping his word when it cost him everything. He is worshipped as the god of war and of righteousness, and his portrait stands in shop doorways, police stations and family halls across Asia — sworn to by people on both sides of the law.

Why You’ll Love It:

• Portrait Format – The head carved large enough to fill the plate, cropped like a bust
• Satin Face, Bright Frame – The expression left matte so it holds still against a polished surround
• Beard Past the Edge – Long carved strands running out beyond the rectangle
• Dragons Up Both Sides – Scaled bodies in the margins with a horned head at the corner
• Stepped Crown – Tiered headdress with a studded brow band and folded side wings
• Solid Gold Throughout – No stones and no plating

Made to order, turnaround time is typically 2-4 weeks.

Specifications

Estimated Weight by Purity