We believe that this ear cup is made of bronze but it is corroded to such an extent that the metal cannot be determined unless we scratch it. The white layer in which it is covered is unusual for bronze so it may be pewter (tin) or lead. An ear cup of this size is rare. The miniature pottery images of servants and soldiers which accompanied the nobility in the afterlife during the Western Han period were equipped with bronze implements such as weapons and other useful objects but we never saw such a small ear cup. It dates from the Western Han period (206BC – 25AD). Length 4 cm. Width 3.5 cm. Height 0.4 cm.