The National Museum's "Ancient China" exhibition hall is full of fine products, each exhibit can be called a masterpiece of ancient Chinese history and culture, two of which are bird-shaped three-legged vessels that attract the attention of the seeker.
Both vessels make clever use of the growth characteristics of birds, so that the bipedal and one tail are distributed in a triangular shape, especially the tail shape characteristics are very similar. So, are there any internal links between these two exhibits with different materials, different places of origin, and different production periods?
In fact, the bird prototypes of the two artifacts are derived from a bird that was full of mystery in ancient times, respected and worshiped by humans, and was considered to be a psychic ghost god - the owl, the "owl".
The first collection, Tao Yingding, was unearthed in Taipingzhuang, Hua County, Shaanxi Province, and belongs to the Neolithic Yangshao culture dating from 7,000 to 5,000 years ago. With a height of 35.8 cm and a caliber of 23.3 cm, the whole body is made of delicate clay pottery, showing the wisdom of the ancient ancestors and the superb modeling technology and pottery burning technology, which is a representative work of the prehistoric birds and beasts of the mainland.
Ding's image is that of a muscular, mighty eagle with thick legs and a drooping tail, forming three stable fulcrums. The head has rounded eyes and a hook-like beak. The mouth is located in the area around the back and wings, so that the ding has enough space, and the fire between the feet and tails can be heated.
Before the Yangshao culture, the ancestors used common pottery. The appearance of this tao yingding is considered to be proof of the beginning of the differentiation of the social structure, that is, a small number of people began to gradually grasp privileges, become aristocrats, allocate more resources, strengthen their identity and status by owning and using valuable artifacts, and highlight their special powers.
It was unearthed from an adult female tomb. Experts speculate that the ding lord should be a high-ranking nobleman or tribal leader who uses Tao Yingding as his burial object to express his noble status and status.
Behind the excavation of this pottery eagle, there is also an interesting little story. In 1958, Yin Siyi, a villager in Taipingzhuang, Hua County, Shaanxi Province, excavated this large, round and hard "clay pot" while hoeing the ground, and carried it home as a "feed basin" for feeding chickens. A year later, teachers and students of the Archaeology Department of the History Department of Peking University came to the local area to conduct archaeological investigations, and the "clay pot" that was picked up was also handed over to the teachers and students for identification.
Unexpectedly, this "clay pot" turned out to be a representative artifact of Yangshao culture, which is very precious! Tao Yingding was also admitted to the National Museum in 1960. In January 2002, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage issued the "Catalogue of the First Batch of Cultural Relics Prohibited from Going Abroad (Abroad) Exhibitions", and Tao Yingding ranked second.
Although Ding was officially named Tao Ying Ding, at the beginning of its discovery, the Peking University archaeological team named it "Tao Owl Ding" because of a piece of owl-shaped pottery excavated during an examination in Quanhu Village, Huaxian County. The pottery, named "Owl Noodles", is 7 centimeters high and 14.1 centimeters in diameter and is now in the Sackler Museum of Archaeology and Art at Peking University.
Many years later, in 1997, due to the needs of engineering construction, archaeologists once again came to the site of Quanhu Village in Huaxian County to conduct archaeological excavations and obtained a batch of relatively complete animal skeleton specimens. Three species of birds of prey were identified in more than a dozen bird specimens – goshawks, eagles and eagle owls.
Archaeologists speculate that several birds of prey died naturally or were occasionally captured and buried after their deaths; At the same time, there is no sign of artificial perforation and polishing on the bones, and the ancients worshiped the supremacy of such birds of prey, and did not use their bones as raw materials for ornaments.
Let's take a look at these three birds of prey – goshawks, eagles and eagle owls.
From the characteristics of the beak, the eagle's beak peak is 2-2.5 cm, the carving is 3.8-4.2 cm, and the eagle duck is 4-5 cm.
From the perspective of body size, in general, the goshawk is small, with a length of about 50-70 cm and a weight of about 650-1100 grams; The sculpture is about 80 cm long and weighs about 2100-2900 grams; Eagle owl is about 60-90 cm long and weighs between 1000-3900 grams, with large individual differences.
In addition, the tarsals of the eagle are relatively slender without feathers, while both the eagle and the eagle owl are covered with feathers, which are thicker and stronger, and the claws are sharper and more powerful.
Goshawks generally prey on mice, snakes, hares or birds, owls and other small prey, eagle prey also includes some large animals such as goats, fawns, etc., while eagle owl can catch foxes, porcupines and even smaller eagles or ungulates.
What makes the eagle bird special is that it is a nocturnal bird of prey, with unusually sharp hearing and vision at night, and can move freely in the dark of night. Quiet and agile, it is known as the "Night King" and is a veritable "Night Killer".
Returning to this pottery eagle, you can see that its shape incorporates the outstanding characteristics of several birds of prey. However, considering the nocturnal characteristics of owls, the seeker believes that the birds of prey worshipped by ancient ancestors are more likely to be owls.
In ancient times, ancestors died and were buried in the earth, but it is believed that the souls of their ancestors still exist and can be communicated with the world through some divination, sacrifice and witchcraft activities. Day is the world of the world, while dark night is the time when "ghosts", that is, ghosts, haunt activities.
In the minds of the ancients, ghosts and gods were objects of worship and sacrifice. The owl, as the ruler of the night, is regarded as the embodiment of the ancestral soul, or the messenger who communicates with the soul.
This piece of Tao Ying Ding was placed in the tomb as a burial item, and the owl is more likely to take on the heavy responsibility of protecting the deceased and helping their souls communicate with the living, and "Tao Owl Ding" should be a more accurate name.
The second collection is the Bronze Owl Statue of a Woman from the Shang Dynasty.
Zuntong height of 46 cm, mouth length of 16.4 cm, foot height of 13.2 cm, cover height of 13.4 cm, cast for the Shang King Wuding period, more than 3,000 years ago, excavated in 1976 in Anyang City, Henan Province, Yin Xu Women's Good Tomb. Two pieces of the Owl statue with the same shape were unearthed at the same time, in addition to the one in the National Museum, the other one is collected in the Henan Museum, which is one of the treasures of the town courtyard of the hospital.
The figure is in the shape of an upright-breasted owl. The owl has a hook behind its neck, and a lid is attached to the opening behind the head, and the cover is a bird at the front and a dragon after the bird. The whole statue is rich and majestic: thunder pattern lining, cicada pattern, double-headed hammer pattern, gluttony pattern, plate snake pattern and other interactive use, the tail is decorated with the image of the owl.
We know that Nühao was a very admirable woman in ancient China, she was the wife of Wu Ding, the Shang King, and the earliest female general and outstanding female politician in Chinese history. During the reign of Wu Ding, Yin Shang repeatedly conquered the four directions and constantly expanded the territory, and during his reign he was known as "Wu Ding Zhongxing". As Wu Ding's wife, Wu Hao took the initiative to ask for help many times, was ordered to go out on expeditions, and won victories, and Wu Ding had great respect for her. She also served as a divination official, and was appointed to preside over various festivals such as celestial sacrifices, ancestor sacrifices, and shrine springs.
The Shang Dynasty honored birds and used birds as totems. "Poetry Classic, Shang Song Xuan Bird" poem Yun, "Heavenly Destiny Xuan Bird, descending to give birth to the Shang". The "History of Yin Benji" records that the mother of the ancestor of the Shang Dynasty, Qi, was bathing, and saw a bird egg fall, swallow it, and then give birth to Qi. Xuan Bird, which originally means black bird, can also be understood as a divine bird.
These two bronze owls are heroic and majestic, and we can't help but speculate: the owl is the sacred bird worshipped by the Shang Dynasty - the Xuan Bird.
Bronzes of the Shang Dynasty often bear the shape and symbols of the owl. From this, we can also faintly see the shadow of Tao Yingding.
Bronze Owl of the Late Shang Dynasty, 31.8 cm high, collected by the Minneapolis Museum of Art, USA.
Bronze Owl, Late Shang Dynasty, Collection of Izumiya Hiroko, Japan.
Bronze Owl (you), late Shang Dynasty, collection of Hiroko Izumiya, Japan.
Bronze Owl, Late Shang, 19.7 cm high, excavated in 1956 in Erlangpo Village, Shilou County.
Bronze Tiger Bird Beast Pattern (Gong), Late Shang, Foreign Collector's Old Collection, Christie's New York Auction 8.6 Million IN 2021.
It can be seen that although the bronzes of Tao Yingding and the shape and pattern of the late Shang Dynasty owl were made in different eras, made of different materials, and excavated in different places, they were all passed down from the ancient Yangshao civilization in the Central Plains, and they were the crystallization of the ancient people's contemplation of life and exploration of nature. Tao Yingding from Yangshao culture opened the precedent of bird and beast modeling in the later Chinese culture.
Elephant Zun, Late Shang Dynasty, height 17.2 cm, width 10.7 cm, length 21.4 cm, Collection of the Freer Museum of Art, USA.
Tiger man-eater, two pieces. Late Shang Dynasty - Early Western Zhou Dynasty. They are housed in the Izumiya Hiroko Museum in Japan and the Senucci Museum in France.
Bird Zun, Western Zhou, length 30.5 cm, width 17.5 cm, Collection of Shanxi Museum. In 2000, the Jinhou Cemetery in Beizhao Village, Quwo County, was excavated.
Badger Zun, Western Zhou, height 11 cm, length 18 cm, Shanxi Museum collection. In 2006, the Hengshui Cemetery in Daixian County was excavated.
Bird Zun, Spring and Autumn, height 25.3 cm, height 33 cm, Shanxi Museum collection. In 1988, the tomb of Zhao Qing in Jinsheng Village, Taiyuan City, was excavated.
Bird-shaped bronze za, Sengoku, height 16 cm, length 22.9 cm, National Museum collection. In 1952, it was excavated in Jia Gezhuang, Tangshan City, Hebei Province.
Painted goose fish bronze lamp, Western Han Dynasty, height 53 cm, National Museum collection. In 1985, it was excavated in Zhao eighteen villages in Shuo County, Shanxi Province.
Bronze rhinoceros with a wrong gold and silver cloud pattern, Western Han Dynasty, height 34.1 cm, length 58.1 cm, National Museum collection.