Text: Xinglan Shi said
Edited |
A large number of bronzes, jades, chariots and horses have been unearthed from the tombs of the nobles of Baoji Kingdom in Shaanxi, which provide valuable information for us to interpret the living conditions and aesthetic tastes of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Through the analysis of archaeological data, this paper argues that the Western Zhou aristocracy established a rich and colorful aesthetic world with the background of ritual and music culture. The aristocracy of the Zhou Dynasty created an extremely brilliant culture of ritual music in Chinese history.
Their mannerisms and mannerisms are full of elegance. Bronze, jade, etc. are not only practical objects in their lives, but also a sign of status and rank, and at the same time exquisite works of art.
For a long time, our understanding of the living conditions of the aristocrats of the Zhou Dynasty was mainly completed through documents such as "Zhou Rites", "Rituals" and "Records of Rites", which brought many inconveniences to the interpretation of the aristocratic culture of the Zhou Dynasty due to the sparseness of the documents.
Fortunately, with the great progress of archaeological work in the Zhou Dynasty, many cultural relics have been displayed in front of us, providing reliable material materials for us to study the living conditions and aesthetic consciousness of the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty.
It will be a meaningful work to confront the remains of cultural relics and at the same time refer to relevant documents to study and analyze the living conditions and aesthetic consciousness of the aristocrats of the Zhou Dynasty.
A dazzling aesthetic world of the country's aristocracy
From 1974 to 1981, archaeologists excavated three tombs, Zhuyuangou, Rujiazhuang and Zhifangtou, which are located on the north and south banks of Weishui on the outskirts of Baoji City. Excavations have shown that these three cemeteries are cultural relics of the Western Zhou Kingdom.
The ancient Chinese people were active in the early and middle Western Zhou Dynasty. The tombs of these nobles are well preserved, the layout is complete, the unearthed cultural relics are abundant, and the combination has a certain rule. There are 27 noble tombs and 6 chariot and horse pits in the three cemeteries, and a total of 2,675 pieces of various burial utensils have been unearthed.
The cultural relics unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country are dazzling, there are all kinds of beautifully decorated bronze ritual vessels, there are colorful large jade pendants, there are cute animal-shaped jade carving products, and there are various exquisite copper ornaments.
These tomb remains with aesthetic value not only show us a colorful aesthetic world, but also provide us with rare material materials for intuitively perceiving the aesthetic taste of the early nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Bronzes excavated from the cemetery
There are 1,358 bronzes unearthed from the three tombs of the Western Zhou nobles, including Zhuyuangou, Rujiazhuang and Zhifangtou, including 190 bronze ritual vessels.
The bronzes excavated from these three cemeteries can be divided into four categories according to their use and aesthetic characteristics: those with particularly elaborate ornamentation, those with simple ornamentation, and bronzes in the shape of animals, and bronze ornaments.
Particularly intricately ornamented bronze ritual vessels account for about one-third of the bronzes unearthed in state cemeteries. Such as the Bo Fang Ding unearthed at the head of the paper mill, the four walls of the abdomen are decorated with four groups of gluttonous animal faces. The thick horns of the beast face are involuted, and the square round eyes are prominent, with a hideous trend.
There are eight high ridge protrusions in the middle and four corners of the abdominal wall, which makes the tripod body appear particularly complicated. The entire abdomen is lined with delicate and neat cloud and thunder patterns. The upper part of the four-pillar foot is decorated with four groups of gluttonous patterns, and the high ridge is used as the bridge of the nose.
The whole Fang Ding is solemn and majestic, with a sense of mystery and unfathomability. These intricately decorated bronzes carry a strong ideological function, which is the carrier of mysterious ruling power, and the symbol of the identity and status of the Shang and Zhou nobles.
These intricately decorated bronze ritual vessels are the continuation of the elaborate decorative style in the Western Zhou Dynasty in the middle and late Shang Dynasty, and are also the representative form of the Western Zhou ritual and music culture.
Most of the bronze ritual vessels unearthed in the tombs of the nobles of the country are regular and generous, and the ornamental style is simple and delicate. The ornamentation of the tripod and the gui is mainly located on the lid, neck and feet, while the abdomen is smooth and unadorned.
For example, the round tripod (specimen BZMl3:15) unearthed in the No. 13 tomb of Zhuyuangou, the body and abdomen of the tripod are peach-shaped, the mouth is slightly constricted, the flat edge is folded outward, the square lips stand on the ears, the abdomen is shallow, and the three-column foot is higher.
The upper part of the abdomen is decorated with a group of gluttonous patterns, with six ridges and a cloud and thunder pattern on the back. The upper part of the three-pillar foot is each decorated with a group of gluttonous patterns, with high ridges. Ding's abdomen is smooth and unadorned, and the overall shape is regular and delicate.
This kind of bronze ware is more common in the Zhuyuangou cemetery, and it is a kind of copper tripod that was generally popular in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Another example, the copper gui marked with BZMl3:21 has two symmetrical heads under the mouth edge, a small gluttonous pattern on the neck and the ring foot, a fine cloud and thunder pattern on the background, a week of flag patterns on it, and a string pattern under it.
The abdomen of the Gui is smooth and unadorned. Unearthed in Zhuyuangou Tomb No. 13 of the father B copper pot (specimen BZMl3:24), straight square lips, high collar and long neck, the ampulla drooping and round bulging. The handle, the edge of the cover, the neck, and the ring foot are all decorated with a dragon pattern and a cloud and thunder pattern on the backing.
There is no decoration on the other parts of the body. The whole utensils appear regular, delicate, clean and neat. In these neatly ornamented and concise bronzes, the gluttonous pattern no longer occupies the main position of the utensils, and the decorative meaning conveyed by the gluttonous pattern far exceeds the deterrent and terrifying sense it brings.
This means that the mysterious and terrifying power in the life of the aristocracy of the powerful country gradually fades, and people begin to pay attention to the world of human life. Among the unearthed bronzes, there are also a number of vivid animal-shaped bronzes.
Such as the elephant statue unearthed in Rujiazhuang, the elephant body is fat and plump, the trunk is tall, the nose head is rolled, and there is a round hole in the elephant trunk that communicates with the body cavity for flowing. The elephant's mouth is slightly open, the teeth are exposed, the two round eyes are prominent, the round ears are raised, and the back is broad.
The whole body is decorated with four groups of phoenix bird patterns, outlined with thick lines and yang lines, and the phoenix bird hangs its crown, and the volume is formed into a circular vortex. The bird statue unearthed in Rujiazhuang has an upright body and a high head in the distance, with a plump body and strong and powerful.
If we compare the animal-shaped statue unearthed in Rujiazhuang with the woman's good owl or with the pig statue unearthed in Xiangtan, we can obviously feel that the animal-shaped statue of the two-week period tends to be flattened, the protruding decoration such as the ridge on the bronze ware gradually disappears, the ornamentation tends to be concise, and the mental state of the animal itself has been prominently portrayed to a certain extent.
This also meant that in the lives of the Western Zhou aristocracy, the mysterious, external ruling power was diluted, and people's attention to the life of the present world. Another category that is particularly noteworthy is the bronze ornaments that have been unearthed in almost every tomb.
There are two main types of bronze ornaments unearthed in the state cemetery, one is the copper hairpin placed on the head of the deceased, almost every tomb has unearthed a "dry" shaped copper hairpipe, which is the Zhou Dynasty aristocratic life exquisite, pay attention to the aesthetic pursuit of personal image in the tomb culture.
Another type of bronze ornament is the copper ornament. Copper ornaments have been unearthed in most of the tombs, and most of them are in the close parts of the tomb owner, especially the lower abdomen and legs of the tomb owner.
These ornaments are small in shape, light and thin, with perforations at the top, and some of them have silk thread marks in the perforations, which may be the ornaments on the robes of the tomb owner.
There are three main types of copper ornaments unearthed in the national cemetery: anchor-shaped, fish-shaped and elm-shaped. Anchor-shaped ornaments, shaped like ship anchors, are mostly about 3 centimeters high. The largest number of fish-shaped ornaments have been unearthed, and the shapes and sizes are different.
Most of them are flaky, with round eyes, a prominent snout, and a small round perforation, about 5 cm long. The most delicate and lovely is the elm-shaped copper ornament. Most of the elm leaf-shaped ornaments have clear veins and perforations at the base of the leaves, about 4 cm long.
These bronze ornaments scattered in the coffin are small and delicate, conveying to us the aesthetic message of the nobility of the country 3,000 years ago. In fact, among the bronzes unearthed in the national cemetery, there are also a series of bronzes that can make beautiful sounds, such as chimes, copper bells, and luan bells.
A group of three copper bells were unearthed in the No. 7 tomb of Zhuyuangou. In the No. 13 tomb of Zhuyuangou unearthed a copper cymbal, 2 large copper bells. Large copper bells have also been unearthed in other tombs. The large copper bell is generally about 6 cm high, the cross-section is oval, the top is flat, there is a half-button ring, there is a nose hanging tongue in the bell, and the mouth edge arc is down.
Both sides of the front and back of the bell are decorated with gluttonous animal faces outlined by yin lines. A large copper bell was also unearthed in the No. 7 tomb of Zhuyuangou, the cross-section of the bell body is jujube kernel-shaped, and there is a semi-circular ring chord button on the flat top.
There are 16 tombs in the Zhuyuangou cemetery that have unearthed small copper bells, most of which are produced together with chariots and horses, and a few small copper bells and small ornaments are out of the coffin, which is estimated to be the wearing of the tomb owner.
These small copper bells are about 4 centimeters high, the bell body is wide and flat, the mouth is downward along the arc, the cross-section is jujube kernel-shaped, the flat top is a half-ring button, and there is a nose hanging tongue in the bell.
In addition, there are a large number of luan bells unearthed in the tombs of the nobles of the country. Most of these luan bells are about 15 centimeters high, with a slender base, and there are triangular radial holes on both sides of the bells, containing projectiles, and the shape is lovely.
These sound-producing objects filled the life of the nobility with harmonious and pleasant sounds. "The Book of Rites: Yuzao" records: "Therefore, the gentleman hears the sound of Luan and harmony in the car, and the line is the sound of admiration. ”
It means that the aristocratic car makes a pleasant sound when it travels, and the jade pendant makes a wonderful sound when walking, which shows that the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty are a group that pays attention to the aesthetics of life.
Among the bronzes unearthed in the state cemetery, there are also exquisite chariot and horse ornaments worth mentioning. For example, some of the tombs in the Zhuyuangou cemetery unearthed cars, luan bells, car cars, car jurisdictions and other car equipment are very exquisite.
Luan bell is a bell decorated on the cross of the car, the lower end of the Luan bell unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country is a rectangular chisel base, a micro waist, the upper end is a Duo part, there are triangular radial holes on both sides of the Duo bell, containing projectiles.
The car wheel unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country is often decorated with two or three groups or four groups of banana leaf pattern protrusions, the car jurisdiction is often decorated with the image of various animals, some of the jurisdiction heads are made in the shape of a bull's head, the horns are curved and sharp, the two ears are vertical, the upper part of the ear has a symmetrical and connected square hole, two small round eyes, the nose bridge is concave, the snout is prominent, and the image is vivid.
Some of them have a tiger's head, erect ears, a high nose bridge, hanging eyes, open mouth, and teeth; There are also heads of sheep heads, curly horns, high nose bridge, round eyes, slender snout, and the image of the head of the sheep is very vivid.
These ornaments decorated on the car constitute a pleasant car culture space, showing the delicate aesthetic psychology and strong aesthetic consciousness of the Western Zhou Dynasty aristocracy.
The bronzes unearthed from the state cemetery can give us a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the Bronze Age in Chinese history.
In the life of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty, bronze ware was not only an important ritual vessel, but also an ornament that widely existed in life. It can be said that etiquette and aesthetics are the two most prominent aspects of bronze culture.
In particular, a large number of bronze ornaments unearthed in various tombs have given us a deeper understanding of the aesthetic value of bronzes. A large number of unearthed bronze ornaments tell us that in the life of the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty, the ritual system was the core, but the pursuit of beauty ornaments is also a very important aspect of life.
The small and exquisite bronze ornaments show that the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty had a delicate aesthetic psychology, they pursued beauty, paid attention to the beauty of life, and had a strong sense of aesthetics.
epilogue
The tomb culture of the ancient kingdom provides us with rare material materials for understanding the living conditions and aesthetic pursuits of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Through the above analysis of the aesthetic characteristics of bronze and jade, we can also get more information about the living conditions and artistic spirit of the Western Zhou nobles.
First of all, judging from the remains of the tombs, the life of the Western Zhou nobles was based on the ritual culture, but their lives were not completely bound and rigid by the ritual system, and it can even be said that in the context of the ritual culture, the life of the Western Zhou nobles surpassed the constraints of the ritual system and practicality to a certain extent, and had a high degree of aesthetics.
As far as bronzes are concerned, although the number of bronzes such as Ding and Gui is different from the documentary records, the group excavations of Ding and Gui and the excavation of chimes still show us various signs of Western Zhou ritual and music culture.
However, many of the bronzes unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country have shown a delicate and concise decorative style, while the complex ornamental features rich in mystery, horror and deterrence do not dominate.
bibliography
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