Warring States Bull Tiger Copper Case
Once upon a time there was a mountain, there was a tomb in the mountain, there was an old cow by the tomb, and he was cooking with his own baby, and when he turned around, he finished, he nodded his old back, and there was a tiger that took aim at them both, and they both pulled their legs and ran, whoops, and snapped, and this meal, and I didn't know where to run, and when I looked up, the tiger was about to catch up, forcing this old cow to be really helpless, and said, Cub, come to the mother's arms, say it is late and fast, this fierce tiger searches for a single one, pounces on the big bull, and hugs the cow's body on all fours. Forcefully bite the ox's tail, in the form of climbing; the horn of the big bull flies, struggles hard, leans forward, stands, and the calf under the abdomen seems to be nervously leaning on the arms of the big cow, commonly known as the "cow guard calf", which is the Warring States cattle and tiger copper case excavated from the tomb of Lijiashan No. 24 in Jiangchuan, which is now collected in the Yunnan Provincial Museum, which is the treasure of the museum. Now he is participating in the Why China Exhibition held at the Forbidden City in Beijing. A said, wow, how tear-inducing is this story, is it a widely circulated story in Lijiashan, Jiangchuan County, Yunnan? No, I just made it up, but this Warring States Niuhu Copper Case is not people's daily necessities, but a heavy instrument of the Dian Kingdom, a ceremonial instrument used in religious sacrifice activities in the Warring States period; it was originally called a case but a trick, which is similar to the small bench we usually see, generally square.
According to the "Zuo Biography", the great affairs of the country lie in the worship and rong. It is also said that the major events of the country can be counted as nothing more than wars and sacrifices. For the ancient Dian kingdom is no exception. The ancient Dian people believed that cattle and animals were the most important sacrifices in the sacrificial activities, ranking first among the three animals (cattle, sheep, and pigs), and were a symbol of wealth and life. The bull is not only a messenger of life, but also the hope of the nation's endless reproduction, so it is regarded as a treasure. If something big happened, the ancient Dian people would sacrifice the most precious bull and communicate with the gods through sacrifice to get guidance from heaven. In the sacrificial activities, the cattle are the highlight, people tie the cattle to wooden stakes, the wizards circle the cattle, swaying as they walk, and do not chant the incantation (Heavenly Spirit, Earth Spirit), and then stab the cow to death, and the direction of the bull falling is the direction of the attack and battle, indicating the victory of this battle. After the sacrifice is over, the beef will be divided into tribes, and those who eat beef will have wisdom and courage; the remaining bull's head will be used to worship the gods. As the king of the hundred beasts, the tiger has a lofty position in the Dian culture, and often stands at the top of the copper pillar sacrificed by the Dian people, which is the object of worship.
Overall styling
Warring States cattle and tiger bronze case for bronze material, the height of about 43cm, is the larger piece of the Yunnan bronze, its shape is indeed special, using the ancient Dian state at that time more popular "tiger eating cattle" theme, cleverly applied two cattle and one tiger combination, not only truly depicted the survival law of the weak in nature, but also told the Dian people's knowledge and understanding of the ultimate proposition of life "death". The four feet of the big bull are the legs of the case, and the back is naturally falling backwards, resembling an oval case; the tail is decorated with a fierce tiger as a climbing shape, opening its mouth to bite the ox's tail; and the calf is placed horizontally under the belly of the big bull, in a cross-shaped shape, the head and tail are slightly exposed, and the outside of the big bull's abdomen seems to imply the true love of the mother, but in fact, it is the sustenance of the new life, the metabolism of life, and the expression of the Dian people's appeal to wealth, life and the security of the country. The casting process uses the model method, first casting the big cow and the tiger at once, and then welding the calf under the belly of the big cow. The combination of size and size, dynamic and static, the concept is ingenious, although the shape is weird, its technique is indeed impressive, not only to strengthen the stability of the main body, but also to highlight the overall beauty of the utensils.
Where the value lies
Niuhu bronze case, looks like an ordinary ritual vessel, but it is indeed a branch of Chinese bronze culture, it not only absorbs the characteristics of the central plains (such as the modern dining table with four legs) four-legged case, but also integrates the local ethnic characteristics and style; and like this exquisite artifact, whether in the overall shape, or in the production process, all shine with the wisdom of the ancients. Similarly, in terms of mechanics and aesthetics, it has also reached the peak of artistic effect, with high ornamental value. It not only perfectly interprets the knowledge and understanding of the people of the ancient Dian kingdom at that time to yearn for life, but also reproduces the real situation of the level and development of bronze production technology in the ancient Dian kingdom during the Warring States period. It also provides valuable historical materials for our future research on the ethnic history, agricultural and animal husbandry history, metallurgical history, art history, and folklore history of the ancient Dian Kingdom.
Hereby declared: The references in this article are from the National Library of China and the Yunnan Provincial Museum, and the copyright belongs to Sha Rice Grain, and may not be reproduced or adapted without permission.