Stone carvings leave scars on the tiger with might
The earliest stone tiger in our province is found in the Tomb of HuoFu and the Tomb of Zhang Qian in the Western Han Dynasty. The common Tianlu and evil spirits in front of the tombs of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties are mythological animals with tigers as prototypes, or both tigers and lions. The ancients believed that the tiger was the chief of a hundred beasts and could devour ghosts, so it had the habit of taking the tiger town tomb. The imperial tomb uses the stone tiger as the door beast, and the stone tiger sacrificed by Tang Gaozu as the latest. Since then, the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor's Mausoleum has also listed shihu, but it has not been used as a door beast.
Zhang Qian's tomb stone tiger
Zhang Qian, a famous diplomat and explorer in the history of the mainland, was buried in his hometown of Bowang Street in present-day Chenggu County. In front of Zhang Qian's tomb, there is a pair of winged stone beasts symmetrically distributed on both sides, known locally as stone tigers. The head, feet and tail of the stone tiger are all crippled, squatting, the neck is backward, the waist is low and high into a diagonal line, the hips are upturned, and the lines are majestic. The surface of the stone tiger is heavily eroded, and no obvious carving marks and characters are found. The stone tiger may be a town tomb beast used to ward off evil spirits.
A tiger monument
A tiger stele in the collection of the Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an
Is it possible to write a "tiger" in just one stroke and draw a tiger at the same time? A tiger monument did it. "乕" is a variant of "tiger", and the ancients wrote the word "tiger", often replaced by "乕".
Ma Dezhao, a great calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty, used only one stroke to portray the image of the fierce tiger looking back and shouting. The tiger's head, tiger's mouth, and tiger legs are still faintly visible, especially the tiger's tail, which actually has a straight and hairy feeling. This inscription is now in the Forest of Stone Steles Museum in Xi'an, a holy place of calligraphy, because of its unique creativity, it has now become a net red stele.
Eastern Han Dynasty "Double Beast"
Eastern Han Dynasty "Double Beast" Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum Collection
The "double beasts" of the Eastern Han Dynasty collected by the Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an can be called the fine works of the art of circular carving and stone carving in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The "Double Beast" was excavated in 1960 in Shenjia Village, Xianyang City, a total of one pair, both carved in bluestone, 110 cm high, 210 cm long and 45 cm wide. The "double beast" combines the styling characteristics of lions and tigers, opens its mouth, stands tall, bends its waist, forms a smooth curve from the head and neck, back ridge to tail, the trunk is healthy and straight, and the limbs are strong and powerful, and it is very dynamic.
Because they have been buried in the ground for many years, they have been protected from wind and rain, and their whole body is almost intact, and they show the warm luster characteristic of bluestone. From the styling style, it is speculated that the "double beast" is a work of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which should have been placed in front of the tomb at the beginning, undertaking the mission of guarding the mausoleum and driving out evil, and at the same time being a symbol of the noble status of the tomb owner.
Bronze sparkles
On bronzes in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the image of the tiger was used quite frequently, or cute, or realistic, or mysterious, with different usages and different meanings. People call brave samurai tiger generals, tiger lords, and tiger soldiers, and call the soldiers used to dispatch troops tiger runes.
Western Zhou bronze mother and child tiger
Western Zhou Bronze Mother and Child Tiger Collection of Baoji Bronze Ware Museum
The tiger is the king of the hundred beasts, mighty and fierce, but the Western Zhou bronze mother and child tiger of the Baoji Bronze Museum allows us to see the other side of the tiger. With superb skill and keen observation, Zhou's craftsmen recorded the dynamic picture of the tigress picking up the tiger on the bronze and cast this precious bronze mother and child tiger.
This cultural relic was unearthed in 1988 in Baoji Bridge Factory, the overall shape is cute, the mother and child love is vividly displayed, the tiger's mighty and tender feelings are integrated, and the momentary picture of the natural world is condensed into bronze art, which is a rare art treasure.
Qin Du Hu Charm
Qin DuHu Fu Collection of Shaanxi History Museum
Du Hufu was unearthed in 1975 in the southern suburbs of Xi'an. "Du" was Du County (杜县, in modern Chang'an District, Xi'an). Fu is an ancient voucher used to convey orders and mobilize troops, usually made in the shape of a tiger, divided into left and right halves, and can be combined before the troops can be dispatched. This tiger charm is found only on the left half, the tiger is walking, curled up with its head held high, and has a small hole in the neck that can be hung through a rope. The Du Hu charm is cast with a wrong gold inscription of 9 lines with a total of 40 characters, and the font is a beautiful hanging needle seal. The inscription basically says that the tiger rune is divided into two halves, the right half is in the hands of the monarch, the left half is controlled by the general, and anyone who deploys more than 50 troops must have the order of the monarch, and the soldiers can be dispatched after the soldiers are combined. However, if you encounter an urgent military situation, you do not have to meet the requirements and light a beacon. The application of the Tiger Charm fully illustrates the high concentration of military power in the Qin Dynasty.
Qin brick Hanwa tiger wings
The brick carvings and tiles of the Qin and Han dynasties have strange animal images, exquisite shapes and profound meanings, and have been immortal for thousands of years. The so-called "Qin brick Han tiles" illustrate the brilliant achievements of architectural decoration in this period. The Qin Dynasty wadang is mostly lotus pattern, sunflower pattern, cloud pattern; there are many animal images on the Han Dynasty wadang, such as rabbits, deer, cattle, horses and so on. In addition, the "Four Gods Wadang" was also widely used in Han Dynasty architecture.
Tiger striped hollow bricks
Tiger striped hollow bricks Xianyang Museum collection
Xianyang Museum hides tiger striped hollow bricks, 115 cm long, 38 cm wide and 20.5 cm thick, clay gray pottery, large bricks, rectangular, hollow, and decorated with high relief double tiger stripes on the front. Two tigers stand with their backs to each other, one tiger looks back and stands, and one tiger runs. The tiger-striped hollow brick has rounded rectangular holes at one end and a mutilated one end. This brick provides important physical data for the study of the portrait art and burial system of Han bricks.
White Tiger Wadang
White Tiger Wadang Shaanxi History Museum Collection
Wadang, also known as watou, is the drooping part of the top of the cylinder tile in ancient Chinese Han architecture. Wadang first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and its level of craftsmanship reached its peak during the Han Dynasty.
In the Han Dynasty, the "Four Gods Wadang" flourished. The four gods are the four animals in ancient legends, namely the green dragon, the white tiger, the suzaku, and the Xuanwu, which symbolize the four directions of east, west, south and north respectively. The four gods are also considered to be symbols of the four colors, namely blue (blue), red (Zhu), white, and black (Xuan). The four gods of the wadang pattern have a distinct center, namely the milk nails. The white tiger symbolizes the West, autumn, and also represents white.
The Han Dynasty "Four Gods Wadang" treasured by the Shaanxi History Museum is a masterpiece among the Han Dynasty tiles.
Jin Hui Yu Ying Hu Lai Fu
Gold, silver, jade, rare and precious. Wearing gold, silver and jade "tiger" ornaments is the ancient people's worship and reverence for strength and might.
Queen's Seal
The Seal of the Empress, Shaanxi History Museum
Speaking of jade products in the museum, the seal of the Empress of the Han Dynasty collected by the Shaanxi History Museum is a star product.
The seal is only the size of an adult's palm, and the surface of the crystalline jade is carved with a fierce tiger. The Seal of the Empress is made of Xinjiang Hetian mutton fat jade, which is hard and delicate, warm and white, and does not have the slightest color. The circular carving on the back of the seal is in the shape of a tiger, the tiger is angry and round-eyed, open mouth and teeth, fierce image, and healthy posture. The four sides of the seal are engraved with cloud patterns, and the printing surface is engraved with the four characters of the seal book "Seal of the Queen".
A mantis is a dragon without horns in ancient legends. The tiger is a sacred beast that has evolved on the basis of absorbing the characteristics of the ant and the tiger. The use of the tiger as a button indicates the king's demeanor and the absolute authority of the hundred officials.
When an empress was established in the Han Dynasty, a seal was awarded, which was a certificate of empress status. The Eastern Han Dynasty Wei Hong's "Han Old Yi" records: "Empress Yuxi, Wen and Emperor Tong. Queen's Seal, Golden Tiger Button. "The seal of the Queen of this side is exquisitely carved, and the printing is dignified and elegant. Because of its proximity to Changling, experts deduce that it is a lühou object.
A golden tiger excavated from the Liujiawa site
Golden Tiger excavated from the Liujiawa site, Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute
The State of Rui was a vassal state during the Spring and Autumn Period, and its records are very brief in the literature. In 2005, the discovery of the Ruins of Ruiguo in Liangdai Village, Hancheng City, promoted the study of the history of Ruiguo. The Liujiawa site is connected to the liangdai village site, which provides important information for studying the survival and demise of the princely states in the eastern region of Guanzhong during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, as well as its exchanges with other northern ethnic groups, changes in the political pattern, crowd mobility and local management models.
The golden tiger excavated from the Liujiawa site, sheared and shaped, engraved pattern, is consistent with West Asia and Central Asia in terms of production technology. The Golden Tiger shows the exchange between the Rui kingdom and the northern steppe at the turn of the two weeks.
Warring States to the Western Han Dynasty Silver Tiger
Warring States to Western Han Dynasty Silver Tiger Shaanxi History Museum collection
There is a silver tiger in the Shaanxi History Museum, excavated in 1957 from the Xiongnu tomb of Nalingaotu Village in Shenmu County (now Shenmu City) in Shaanxi Province. The silver tiger is a cast relief decoration, with a head similar to a round carving, a bowed neck, and licking its front paws. There are tile-like stripes on the body. There is a round hole in the neck and three round holes in the tail, which should be used for embellishment. The shape of the head is low, the limbs are thick, and the claws and toes are developed, which show the characteristics of the beast's strength.
Source: Shaanxi Daily Shaanxi Publishing
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Editor-in-charge: Wu Xiaotao
Edit: Lengo