This Western Han copper inscription is an inscription on a copper mass vessel cast in the third year of the Western Han Dynasty (18 BC). Such inscriptions are in the form of seals, letters, or seals.
[Western Han] copper inscription
Copper is an ancient measuring instrument for calculating volume, which is shaped like a round jar with a handle. Its inscriptions belong to the zhong dingwen category, the lines are symmetrical, vigorous and powerful, the strokes are fine, the space is white and reasonable and smooth, and can be used as a model for learning calligraphy to practice lines.
This inscription is a typical font from the period of evolution from the seal to the li, and in the Western Han Dynasty, the mixed use of the seal was quite common. Except for the words "Shang, Lin, Jin" and so on, which are seal books, most of the others are Lishu or Seal Li. Its glyphs are staggered in size and its chapter style is quite distinctive. The 29 characters of the full text are divided into three lines, the number of words in each line is unequal, there are no columns, and the length, width and narrowness of the glyphs are different, which constitutes a natural and regular pattern of the whole text. There is a certain distance between the lines, and the words are compact and seamless. This inscription is an important physical material for the study of the culture and system of the Western Han Dynasty.
Finishing: Xue Xin
This article is from the A05 edition of Culture and Art Newspaper on January 24, 2022