Ancient Dian Kingdom in the Museum
In ancient times, Yunnan has always been the most important copper producing area in China, and the Bronze Age was also its most glorious period. In March 1955, the excavation team of the Yunnan Provincial Museum carried out the first excavation of the Shizhaishan Cemetery, which lasted 21 days. More than 100 pieces of bronze ware were unearthed, including copper drums and two shell containers cast with scenes of weaving and sacrificial pillars, vividly representing one aspect of ancient social life in the Dianchi Lake area.
In 1956, archaeologists opened the tomb again. In the lacquerware powder at the bottom of Tomb 6, a gold seal was truly removed. Mr. Sun Taichu, an archaeologist, held a gold seal with soil and carefully removed the fill from the seal. The four seal characters "Dianwang Gold Seal" came into view, with the four edges of the gold seal intact and a snake coiled around the back of the seal. Looking back, he looked closely, his eyes shining brightly and dazzling. The golden seal is no more than a square inch, but as a witness to the history of Yunnan, its weight is heavier than a thousand catties. With it, the ancient Dian Kingdom 2000 years ago reappeared on earth. The excavation of the "Dianwang Gold Seal" confirms the fact recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian" that during the Han Dynasty, Yizhou County was established in Yunnan, and the "Dianwang Gold Seal" was granted to him, still allowing him to lead his people. Along with the Golden Seal, countless exquisite bronze artifacts were unearthed, and their discovery shocked the world.
The content of the bronze ware in Dian, from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to various aspects of social life, not only reveals many secrets of Dian, but also raises many questions for the world. Its realistic style provides people with many information that words cannot provide, making it the most intuitive material for understanding ancient people's lives. The bronze artifacts of Dian include five categories: production, daily necessities, weapons, ritual vessels, and ornaments. They are widely used in various fields of Dian people's lives, which is very different from the situation where the bronze artifacts unearthed in the Central Plains are mostly limited to ritual vessels and weapons. And it has local characteristics in terms of shape. In terms of craftsmanship, Yunnan's bronze ware is not simply cast, and usually uses techniques such as calcination, molding, gilding, tin plating, inlaying, and line carving. Bronze ware is decorated regardless of size, whether it is line carving, inlay, three-dimensional carving, stacking, etc., in order to make the objects themselves more beautiful and durable. The "Bull Tiger Bronze Table" is the most representative physical object, with a sacrificial utensil that combines cows and tigers in its shape. Craftsmen use a mold to cast it, and the cows and tigers are formed in one go, while the cows are separately cast and then welded. From the perspective of aesthetic value, the design is unique, the size ratio is appropriate, the shape is shaped with a combination of motion and stillness, and the visual effect is outstanding. From the analysis of mechanical principles, the small tiger is decorated at the tail of the bull, and the small tiger's hind legs tightly press against the bull's hind legs, causing the center of gravity of the object to shift significantly backwards. There is a small cow hidden under the bull's belly, increasing the gravity of the object itself. The problem of the object's slightly frivolous and unstable lower plate due to its pursuit of beauty and singularity has also been solved. In addition, the decoration of bronze vessels in Yunnan also involves natural patterns, animal life scenes, and character life scenes, forming the unique artistic charm of Yunnan bronze vessels.
The agriculture of Yunnan has reached a very high level, and there are a large number of images of cattle on Yunnan bronze vessels. They should be the common peak cattle in the southern region of Yunnan, with a tall back. Cattle are mainly an important source of meat.
The development of agriculture among the Dian people was thanks to the attention of the country. Many exquisitely crafted agricultural tools, such as the "pointed leaf shaped copper hoe", were found with extremely fine lines of peacock, cow head, and other decorations. It is difficult to imagine that people at that time would be so luxurious to make production tools. The patterns associated with the "Jitian and Shangcang scenes" of bronze ware undoubtedly represent the Yunnan people's prayer for harvest and joy in celebrating the autumn harvest before spring plowing. It can be confirmed that many of the religious sacrifices of the Dian people are related to agricultural production. Compared with the ceremonies held at the Temple of Agriculture by the emperors of later dynasties, it is obvious that these farm tools are ritual vessels for the King of Yunnan to work hard. There are still some scenes related to the social order of the time on the bronze vessels in Yunnan. The existing "cursed alliance shell storage vessel" of the National Museum has cast over a hundred people in a narrow space, each with a vivid and orderly expression, and the arrangement of characters is strict, indicating that the religious beliefs of the Dian people have become standardized and institutionalized. In addition, some scenes with the color of Prehistoric religion related to reproductive worship, primitive beliefs, religious ceremonies, etc. are reflected in Yunnan bronzes. These mysterious image materials show us the rich cultural connotation of Yunnan. This kind of bronzes in Yunnan is the most vivid object for studying ancient human religions.
Sculpmart is a professional bronze art and bronze artifacts manufacturer providing Chinese Bronze Handcraft arts which will allow you to have a chance to own a masterpiece of Chinese bronze sculptures. If you like, you may choose the style to customize, send us the image and design, our craftsman will reproduce and cast a perfect bronze ware for you.
Please contact if you need.
