The Year of the Tiger says Tiger II:
Bronze sculpture of the tiger eating the sheep, three thousand years ago,
The tragic moment of the weak eating the strong on the land of Gansu
The Gansu Provincial Museum once exhibited a stunning bronze sculpture - tiger eating sheep. It is a record of the moment when the Qin people rose; it is also a tragic moment when the weak and the strong eat on the land of Longyuan two or three thousand years ago.
This bronze vessel not only shows that the Qin people were full of bloody journeys when they rose, but also witnessed the activities of tigers at that time.
The tiger is the king of the beasts, and the dragon, tiger, phoenix, turtle and lin are ancient spirit beasts, symbolizing the West and the lord of conquest. Therefore, most of the ancient works related to tigers are mainly based on the majestic ferocity and the strength of the tigers and tigers.
Shimizu discovers a tiger devouring sheep cast in gold
Tigers are fierce, and in the past, people had to retreat when they saw tigers. Only a good man like Wu Song could dare to fight a tiger alone; a haojie like Li Kui could kill four tigers. But in today's cartoons, not only do tigers stop eating people, but wolves have also become gentle and cute. Many years ago, after school, the child asked me, "Daddy, do wolves eat sheep or not?" "I'm speechless, this is a generation that was misled by cartoons. In their perception, wolves not only do not eat sheep, but are often bullied by sheep.
"Wolves not only eat sheep, they also eat people." An elder in his hometown, when he was a child, encountered a wolf, although he escaped, he left a large scar on his face, and as a result, his life was destroyed. Wolves are still very powerful.
Sheep are one of the animals at the lowest end of the biological chain. Predators not only have wolves, but tigers don't let go of them. Before the Shang Zhou Dynasty, the northern grassland climate was dry and rainy, and tigers occupied an absolute position on this grassland. At that time, the nomads worshipped tigers, not wolves as people see them today. Tigers often chase sheep on the grassland, and the scenes of tigers and sheep fighting each other appear in the vision of the ancestors.
The tiger pattern has become a favorite ornamental theme of the nomadic people of the northern steppe. At that time, tiger stripes were widely popular either in petroglyphs, or in tomb paintings, or in Ordos bronze motifs. In order to show bravery, the samurai used tiger stripes as decorations in great detail, and the tiger-eating sheep pattern that showed the fierceness of the tiger became the favorite of the samurai.
In the Huns, gold, silver and bronze, a large number of patterns related to tigers appeared. This pattern did not fade out of people's vision until after the Sui and Tang dynasties.
Once seen a gold leaf tiger eating sheep pattern, four or five centimeters long, three or four centimeters high, craftsmen seized the moment when the tiger pounced, the tiger's mouth was wide open, the whole body was up, the front paws were strong, and the tail was cocked. Some believe that this is a Scythian handicraft. The Scythians were a people of Eastern European savannah whose footprints have been in Ordos to this day and are known for their ability to raise horses. More than 1,000 years ago, they were also known as the Cypriots and were the overlords of the northern steppes.
Liuping Village, Baituo Township, Qingshui Township, Gansu Province, unearthed a gold ornament of the Warring States period, with a length of 8.5 cm, a width of 4.5-5.5 cm and a thickness of 0.1 cm. Made by pounding. Irregular flakes, frontal bulge, edges cut and chiseled, partially hollowed out. A tiger is left-oriented, ringing eyes, vertical ears, nose, mouth, teeth are clearly depicted. The tiger bows its neck and tail, kneels on its hind feet, and grabs and holds a sheep under its front paws, and is about to devour it, and the sheep kneels on the ground. Vividly represented, the bloody moment of the tiger eating the sheep. The tiger's body is marked by a series of stripes of fur and stripes, and there are nail holes in the corners, apparently nailed to an artifact. After tiger pattern decoration was introduced to the farming peoples, people gradually changed their shape, and gradually evolved from ornamental plaques to body castings.
2. Tiger striped copper cymbal, Gansu Lingtai unearthed Zhou weapons
This is a weapon that has stunned countless people. The whole weapon is the shape of a tiger, it is bent into a C shape, and the sharp blade is the tiger's abdomen. This is the tiger-patterned copper cymbal excavated from the White Grass Slope of Lingtai in Gansu. This tiger striped bronze cymbal is 23.5 cm long, and the whole resembles a half ring, casting a tiger pattern. The tiger's back is a blade. There are short beards and two wear under the tail, cast grooves on the tail and claws, the tiger's head is bent down, the mouth is brassed, the teeth are open, and there is a circular perforation in the collar.
Baicao Slope is 30 miles away from the county seat of Lingtai. In October 1967, people excavated 8 Western Zhou tombs and 1 chema pit in Baicaopo, and unearthed more than 300 bronzes of various kinds, covering many aspects of people's lives at that time, which can be called "bronze kingdom".
Out of Lingtai County to the northwest, not far away is the white grass slope. Passing through the village, 500 meters ahead, a triangular slope appeared in front of us. This is where the Western Zhou tombs were unearthed.
This is a sunny slope that sits north to south, and the terrain is high in the north and low in the south. Looking up, two streams of water washed away into a deep ditch in front of them intersected, as if two barriers guarded this Western Zhou cemetery. Layers of terraces stretch from the edge of the village to the lowest point of the mountain mouth. Walking on the terraces, from time to time I found tomb robbers probing the eyes, and the dirt was not dry. Decades later, it's still a place for grave robbers to spy on.
There are two theories about the discovery of the White Grass Slope cemetery. One theory is that in October 1967, the Baicaopo Brigade of Xitun Commune found a collapsed Western Zhou tomb while leveling the fields. In the villagers, another version is circulated, saying that it is an old man who herds sheep and chases the water and grass, and suddenly encounters a heavy rain in the ravine. The old man had nowhere to go, so he took refuge under a ridge on the cliff. The old man clung to the ridge and felt that his back was very dirty, so he dug it up. As a result, a bronze object was excavated. Soon, the news spread all around. Later, people casually planed out several bronzes in the place where the old man said, including a bronze quartz. It was a vessel for holding wine, often appearing at the banquets of the nobility. The bronze is about forty centimeters high, cylindrical in shape, with a lifting beam and a thick layer of patina. It is said that after people took the bronze tablet to the Commune Revolutionary Committee, they found that there was still half a bucket of pale green liquid inside. The villagers are very curious about this liquid, some people wash their eyes, some people apply wounds, and they all have to be stained with the light of the "artifact". The people of the Revolutionary Committee were overwhelmed and simply poured half a bucket of liquid. China's oldest wine, just disappeared, it makes people regret it.
In October of that year, the archaeological team was stationed at the site, and large-scale excavations began, and the excavation of bronzes in batches made people ecstatic. A large number of bronzes excavated from Baicaopo filled the gap in the study of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and also left many mysteries.
It is believed that this tiger-striped bronze pendant should be a ceremonial instrument used by senior generals at that time, symbolizing the authority of the royal family and representing the meaning of conquest.
3. The Gilded Tiger of the Qin People Eats Sheep
The tiger pressed down on the lamb, the whole body strained, and the bite was open, which was really tragic and bloody. This is the Bronze Sculpture of the Qin People's "Bronze Gilded Tiger Devouring Sheep-shaped Base". It looks like a weighty bronze, but it's also a very delicate bronze. This is a big guy, fourteen or fifteen centimeters tall, about twenty centimeters long, red spots, green rust, ancient and natural.
This bronze sculpture of the "bronze gilded tiger eating sheep-shaped base" vividly reproduces the moment when the tiger pounces on the lamb and opens its mouth to bite. Only to see, the tiger's hind legs stomped on the ground, the front legs pressed against the sheep's body, the tiger's mouth was wide open, and the sheep curled up into a ball of sheep, showing the majesty of the king of the beast, perfectly showing the situation of the tiger eating the sheep. Even through the glass, we can feel the beauty of the power of the beast.
The "bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-shaped base", although it is a cold bronze, is perfectly expressed in detail. Especially the shape of the tiger's head, 2500 years ago, the Qin State craftsmen, with very exaggerated means, highlighted the tiger head, the entire tiger head accounted for almost one-third of the entire sculpture, and the shape of the tiger's mouth accounted for half of the tiger's head. It can be seen that the craftsmen of the pre-Qin Dynasty were very skilled in casting. Not only is the shape exaggerated, but also in the shape of the sculpture, it also uses various coils and various lines to highlight the fierceness and strength of the beast, giving people a feeling of daunting.
On the back of the "bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-shaped base", there is another mystery. In the middle of the tiger's back there was a square copper plug, about five or six centimeters high and about three centimeters wide, obviously above this, used to insert things.
Obviously, the academic community is also confused about the use of the "bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-shaped base". For this bronze sculpture, just write simply: bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-shaped base, dated to spring and autumn. The specific purpose seems to be unknown.
What is the base of it? As people speculate, it is the placement of bronze mirrors or screens or artifacts such as the Three Services Division.
However, if you look closely, this mysterious bronze sculpture has a very high level. Many places on the surface are shining with golden light. It turned out that the tiger had gilded on it before. However, after being buried in the ground for a thousand years, most of the gilded gold has gradually peeled off. Therefore, its full name is: bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-shaped base.
As far as the casting process is concerned, the base of the Qin people's "bronze gilded tiger-eating sheep-eating base" has a very exquisite and meticulous casting process, which is far higher than the bronze casting process of the northern nomads of the same era. It can be said that the bronze sculpture of the "bronze gilded tiger eating sheep-shaped base" integrates the casting techniques of the Qin people and the nomadic peoples of the northern grasslands, who are all teachers of Qin craftsmen.
This is also the root cause of the Qin people's ability to dominate the world. Thousands of years ago, casting technology and metal processing technology were the foundation of a country.
Xiao Jiao painted a tiger
Xiao Aimin, pen name Xiao Jiao, le mo zhai, born in 1962. At the age of 18, Mr. Han Buyan, a famous painter under The Gate of Qi Baishi, was a disciple of Chuan Chuan, and later mastered Gu Zihui and Mr. Luo Shihua to learn to engrave books.
He is currently a member of the Gansu Provincial Artists Association, a researcher of the Gansu Golden Stone Seal Engraving Research Institute, an advisor of the Gansu Provincial Calligraphy and Painting Association, an advisor of the Lanzhou Democratic Party Art Federation, a specially appointed calligrapher and painter of the Lanzhou Municipal CPPCC Calligraphy and Painting Institute, and the vice chairman of the Xigu Branch of the Lanzhou Artists Association. His works have participated in many domestic and foreign calligraphy and painting exhibitions and won awards, and dozens of works have been collected by art institutions at home and abroad.
It has been published in dozens of newspapers and magazines such as China Calligraphy and Painting Daily, Calligraphy Daily, Workers Daily, Gansu Fine Arts, Jianshu Appreciation Pictorial, Jianzang, Seal Engraving, etc. He will hold solo exhibitions, charity exhibitions and group exhibitions. His works have been selected into various large-scale albums such as "Collection of Excellent Works of Chinese Artists" and "Collection of Works of Gansu Fine Arts Exhibition". He has published "Selected Paintings of Cats by Xiao Jiao", "Selected Seal Engravings of Xiao Jiao's Paintings and Calligraphy", and "Selected Paintings of Xiao Jiao by Contemporary Powerful Painters of China".