< Prev   [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] ...   Next >

Kinds of Bronze Casting

The bronze craft starting three millennia ago, is a gem in the history of arts and craft in China and the world. It reached a high level in the ancient slave society already and developed further in the feudal society. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, sometimes also with a little lead based on special needs.

Mao Gong Ding

From the Xia to the Qin dynasties, particularly during the Shang and Zhou period (16th century-476 B.C.), dings were used widely as ritual vessels and became hierarchical symbols that "distinguished the dignified from the humble and the superior from the subordinate."

Tiger-shaped token

Always fearful of rebellion, the Qin Emperor devised a system to ensure that troops could be moved only by his express order. He had tokens, fu, made consisting of two interlocking parts. One half went to the commanding officer, and the other half stayed with the Emperor.

Bronze hu (Wine container) inlaid with copper

This wine container is representative of Chinese ritual vessels in the late sixth to early fifth century b.c., a critical period in the development of the art of bronze casting in the late Bronze Age in China.

Spouted ritual wine vessel (guang)

Loosely based on the image of a bird, as can be seen from the hooked beak and glaring eyes at its front, this rare example of a ritual vessel known as a guang was used to pour wine or other potent beverages in ceremonies linking the rulers of the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600– 1050 B.C.) with their ancestors and supernatural forces.

Ritual food container (dui)

Three small animals cast in the round embellish the dome-shaped lid of this bronze dui, or ritual food container. The animals also function as feet when the lid is inverted to serve as a tray. The surface of the vessel, a round bowl supported on a ring foot, is elaborately decorated with paired dragons and rolling curls.

Pair of covered ritual wine containers (hu)

The Zhou initially adopted the ritual practices and accompanying bronze vessels of their Shang predecessors. By the ninth century, however, a new bronze style had evolved, characterized by new shapes - primarily food vessels - and an imagery that tended toward simple and abstract forms.

Ladle with dragon handle

This sinuously curved ladle terminates with an open-mouthed dragon's head at the handle. The creature has two long horns, pointed ears, bulging eyes, and an attenuated snout. A small ball-like object - possibly an allusion to the flaming pearl often chased by images of dragons in later Chinese art - is caught between the two protruding teeth in the dragon's mouth.

A bronze bell

Ancient clapperless bells, which were sounded with mallets, are members of the zhong family. A yongzhong, recognized by its highly raised rims, is a type of bell found in great sets of graduated chimes known as bianzhong.

Ancient Chinese Bronze

The bronze wares were unique national treasures for China in ancient times for their impressive designs, classical decorative ornamentation, and wealth of inscriptions. The ancient Chinese society fell into the Stone Tool Age and the Iron Tool Age.

< Prev   [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] ...   Next >