Inherit ancient art, integrate romantic feelings, and explore the art of lacquerware in the pre-Qin period through the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Zeng Guo was a small country with little sense of existence during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and its political center was about the area around present-day Suizhou in Hubei Province, and the records of Zeng Guo in the history books are also unknown. What really made Zeng Guo enter the public eye is the tomb of Zeng Houyi found in Suizhou, Hubei Province in the 1970s, and the bronzes, pottery, porcelain, jade and lacquerware excavated from the tomb make people marvel, especially the exquisitely shaped, peculiar patterned and exquisitely crafted lacquerware, which shows the world the brilliant artistic achievements of the Chinese nation. The lacquerware excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng occupies a very important position in the history of lacquerware art in China.

Excavation site of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng with lacquerware

Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

The tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is located in Suizhou, Hubei, and Suizhou is located in the north of Hubei, which is a transitional hilly area between the Jianghan Plain and the Central Plains, with rich products and fertile fields. Such a place is also a very ideal "feng shui treasure land" in the eyes of the ancients, and Suizhou has successively unearthed the tombs of Marquis Zenghou of Yejiashan, the tomb of Marquis Zenghou of Sujialang, the tomb of Zenghou of Zaoshulin and the tomb of Marquis Zeng of Wenfeng Pagoda. The owners of these tombs are also the monarchs of Zeng Guojun, among which the owner of the Yejiashan tomb is more than five hundred years earlier than the tomb of Zeng Houyi, and the owner of the tomb of Sujialang is also more than three hundred years earlier than Zeng Houyi, it can be said that they are all ancestors of Zeng Houyi. Among the many tombs of Zeng Guo, the tomb of Zeng Houyi can be said to be the large-scale tomb of the Warring States with the most complete excavated instruments and the most representative cultural relics unearthed, especially the lacquerware excavated from the tomb of Zeng Houyi, which is the largest number of lacquerware unearthed in the pre-Qin period. The pattern of lacquerware not only integrates the essence of the lacquerware pattern of the Chu state, but also absorbs the excellent components of southern culture, and finally integrates into the artistic river of the entire Chinese nation.

The main lacquerware in the tomb

Bronze ware in the Warring States period has gradually withdrawn from people's lives, and lacquerware has begun to become a necessity in daily life. Because lacquerware is lighter in weight and some can be carried around, they began to replace bronze. The most famous of the tombs of Marquis Yi of Zeng is the gorgeous lacquer coffin, the coffin is huge, the outer coffin is more than three meters long, the width and height are more than two meters, the entire coffin is painted with vermilion black paint, and then painted with yellow, red and gold, painted with cloud patterns, pottery patterns, paisleys and other exquisite ornaments, the entire outer coffin looks magnificent, adding gorgeous colors to the entire burial chamber. The inner coffin is more than two meters long, more than one meter wide and high, and the coffin body is painted repeatedly with red and black paint, and the overall touch is very smooth, without any rough feeling.

On both sides are some more complex patterns, but the pattern on the coffin lid is relatively simple, mainly based on dragons and phoenixes, symbolizing that the master can drive the dragon to ascend to heaven after death, have the blessing of the divine beast, and enjoy all the treatment before death in the underworld. The whole lacquer coffin is graceful and luxurious, and the interior and exterior are reflected in each other, which can be said to be the most representative lacquerware in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. In addition to lacquer coffins, there are also food utensils boxes, wine containers and other living utensils, which are painted with black paint throughout the body, and are still shiny after thousands of years, which is also the earliest item storage box. There is also the exquisite mandarin duck-shaped lacquer box, which is painted with black paint and embellished with various novel patterns, especially the relief dragon on the box, like a real dragon ready to go straight into the sky, which is breathtaking. The lacquerware of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng was in the early Warring States period, and although the production process was not as exquisite as that of later generations, it retained the most primitive simplicity and mystery, and the romantic patterns often made people think of beautiful things.

Lacquered coffin

Lacquerware pattern in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Animal patterns

The most important decorative pattern of lacquerware in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is the animal pattern, of which the dragon pattern and phoenix pattern are the most famous. The dragon has been the totem of the Chinese nation since ancient times, Chinese called itself "the descendant of the dragon", the ancient emperor also called himself the "true dragon tianzi", Chinese the worship of the dragon is incomparable, and even in the daily decorations of the modern family, the figure of the dragon is indispensable. The dragon patterns on the lacquerware of Marquis Yi's tomb are different and varied, which at first glance seem disorganized, but a closer look reveals the meaning contained in them. The dragon pattern is mainly decorated on the lid of the inner coffin, the lines are very smooth, and the shape of the dragon is different: some dragons do the shape of prone, as if ready to soar; some dragons are entangled together, it seems to fly double- and double-flying; some dragons have flown to a high place, looking down below, protecting the owner of the tomb like a god. Together, these strange dragon patterns form a beautiful picture, showing people the decorative art of lacquerware in that simple era.

The phoenix pattern is also an important part of the lacquerware of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, which complements the dragon pattern, the two complement each other, and the lack of any one will appear that the overall shape of the lacquerware is tasteless. Because Zeng Guo and the most powerful Chu state in the southern region at that time were neighbors, the Zeng Guo culture was inevitably influenced by the Chu culture, the Chu people used the phoenix as a totem, and the Zeng culture also integrated a lot of phoenix pattern decoration. Zeng Guo lacquerware phoenix bird pattern imitates the form of chicken, bird, and goose, and there is also such a phoenix pattern in the coffin of Zeng Houyi's tomb, and there are also such phoenix patterns in the "Kua Father Day-by-Day Chart" and "Houyi Shooting Sun Chart". The bipedal multicolored phoenix pattern has the characteristics of long feet, pointed claws, high crowns, etc., the abdomen is engraved with exquisite cirrus patterns, and the tail is high like a phoenix spreading its wings, a graceful and luxurious image, this phoenix stands on the back of the dragon, and seems to go straight up to the clouds with the dragon.

Painted wood carved Mandarin duck box

"Man and God coexist" pattern

The ancients believed in the gods, and they always wanted to live with the gods, and even "danced with the gods", and this good wish was also pinned on the lacquer pattern. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the sacred bird is a kind of god who symbolizes wealth, they like to sing and dance, and if they come to a certain country, the country will have peace and wealth. The famous Mandarin duck-shaped lacquerware box is engraved with two kinds of pictures that record the daily life of the tomb owner, "Striking the Bell Strike Figure" and "DrumMing Dance Figure", and the figures in the pictures are the shape of bird heads. In the "Striking Bell Strike Out Picture", the entire chime frame is also supported by two ends of the sacred beast, not like the large-scale music and dance of dozens of people playing together, only one bird-headed god in the painting is playing, which is also the Zeng people want to express the wish of the gods through painting. In the "Drumming Dance Diagram", the drummers and dancers are also bird-headed, which shows the worship of the gods and immortals of zengguo.

Historical significance

Zengchu culture crystallizes

The first monarch of the State of Zeng was Nangong Shi, who was related to Zhou Tianzi by blood, and he was the youngest brother of King Wu of Zhou, who was divided into Hanshui areas in the early years of Western Zhou, and his main scope of activity was Suizhou in Hubei, where he was responsible for guarding the southern lands for Zhou Tianzi. The State of Zeng was once at its peak, expanding its territory to the Henan region during the Western Zhou Dynasty, and also had three important cities and pools of Suizhou, Jingmen, and Xiangyang, but by the Warring States period, the State of Zeng had become a vassal state of the powerful State of Chu. Although it is a vassal relationship in politics, but in terms of culture, all countries are equal, Zeng Guo did not give up the inheritance of culture because of his weakness, they successfully integrated The culture of Zeng Guo and the culture of Chu State, and the lacquerware of the tomb of Zeng Houyi is one of the concentrated manifestations of Zeng Chu culture.

Early Relief Painted Lacquer Beans from the Warring States Period unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Suixian County

A large number of lacquerware excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, such as lacquer mandarin duck boxes, painted lacquer deer, lacquer ear cups, lacquered bean, etc., have a clear relationship with the artifacts excavated in the tombs of the Chu State. In terms of the pattern of lacquerware, the lacquer pattern of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is also closely related to the State of Chu, and the inner coffin of the Tomb of the State of Chu is also engraved with many smooth dragon and phoenix patterns. The Chu people advocate the god bird, phoenix, sun, fire god, Zeng Houyi tomb lacquerware pattern also has the "father day by day" in the golden sun pattern, in the lacquer mandarin duck box there is a bird head of the human body of the god bird image, as well as "Fusang phoenix pattern", "bipedal five-colored phoenix pattern", "dragon-shaped phoenix pattern", etc., these mysterious and romantic patterns all have the characteristics of Chu culture, together constitute the rich spiritual and cultural world of Chu people and Zeng people.

Painted painted deer

The value of lacquerware art

There were almost no lacquerware unearthed before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and bronze ware has always occupied a major position. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were the peak of the development of Lacquerware Art in China, which gradually replaced bronzes that were inconvenient to transport and carry, and lacquerware was obviously more practical than bronze. Although lacquerware is convenient and practical, the number of lacquerware unearthed in the early Warring States period is still very small, and even the southern region represented by the Chu culture has hardly unearthed lacquerware objects, and the lacquerware unearthed in the tomb of Zeng Houyi is not only exquisite in shape but also complete in variety, representing the maturity of the development of lacquerware in the early Warring States period. Although the lacquerware patterns in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng are inextricably linked to the lacquerware patterns of the Chu State and the Chu State, the depiction of some patterns even exceeds the exquisiteness of the Chu Lacquerware, which provides an important reference value for modern scholars to study the art of lacquerware.

epilogue

The lacquerware in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng is a representative of Chinese lacquerware craftsmanship, its pattern decoration integrates the characteristics of the Culture of the Chu State, both mysterious and romantic, whether it is the dragon pattern, phoenix pattern, sun pattern, divine bird are rich in color, with the characteristics of the Lacquerware culture of the Chu State, but also represents the high maturity of the early Chinese lacquer art, the sacred bird is more embodied in the daily life of the Zeng people and the belief in God. Zeng Houyi tomb lacquerware pattern is flexible and changeable, although only on the basis of red and black to add color, but the overall composition is fine, the line is flexible and changeable, especially the most common dragon pattern in lacquerware, the dragon's vivid state is vividly displayed, through such a depiction, the entire lacquerware is presented with a graceful and luxurious effect, which shows the maturity of the pattern decoration technology of Zeng Guo's craftsmen. In the long river of Chinese art, lacquerware art is like a shining star, illuminating the night sky of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, it will always emit dazzling light, and it will also illuminate the sky of modern art.