Exquisite Cultural Relics of Ruiguo Site Museum in Liangdai Village - Bronze Artifacts
Although the tool is used for playing, it also has some functions, such as hollowed out dragon pattern square boxes, which can hold aromatherapy, etc. The most interesting thing about this utensil is that there are four tigers cast under the box. The tiger's head is outward, its ears are vertical, its eyes are wide open, and its lips are slightly open. Its body is slightly arched, and only its shoulders support the weight above. In addition, the tiger's leg joints are each equipped with a small horizontal axis. A round wheel is attached to the axis, and the wheel touches the ground, but the tiger's paw does not touch the ground. The utensil can roll on the ground with the wheel, so the design is relatively smart, When unearthed, the round wheel could no longer rotate. But after professional X-ray testing, it was found that these four wheels were originally able to rotate. The cover and body of the hollow square box are decorated with different patterns. The cover is decorated with heavy ring patterns, while the four dragon patterns on each side of the box body are symmetrically distributed, making the hollow square box appear more beautiful.
In addition to the hollowed out square box, two other tools - the circled foot figurine and the dragon patterned small figurine - have also attracted people's interest. According to experts, the circled foot figurine and the bronze figurine of this size have been discovered for the first time in China, and these two tools are likely to be used by Mrs. Rui Jiang as wine pots and glasses while playing with them. This circular foot ornament is cleverly designed and exquisitely cast. Its flow part is shaped like a dragon head, with dragon shaped ears on each side of the body. The dragon head is facing back, the dragon body is in a ring shape, and the dragon tail is rolled up. On the other side, there is also a copper chain cast, which connects the body and cover together, so that when the cover is opened, it will not fall to the ground; In the middle of the raised lid, there is a human face tiger body button cast. Experts say that the shape of this button is not very common, which makes this ring foot piece more unique. This shows Rui Jiang's dedication to this tool.
Not only that, some of the tools also incorporate cultural characteristics of different ethnic groups and eras. This one is the smallest of the six tools, with a height of only 6.7 centimeters, a diameter of 6.3 centimeters, and a weight of 0.17 kilograms. Experts said: It was cast according to the shape of the big mouth pot used by the northern Nomad, but it has shrunk many times. The bronze bowl is actually a kind of cooker used by the northern Nomad. It is just like the cooking pot today. It is often hung up and added firewood to the bottom to cook. It is originally a practical device. On the basis of retaining the two upright ears of the large mouthed pot, this piece has a circular foot cast underneath, and the body of the pot is no longer facing the sky, but is carved with dragon patterns with round eyes, curly nose, and tongue. Experts say that this incident not only reflects Mrs. Ruijiang's life style, but also reflects the cultural integration between ethnic groups.
Looking at these two utensils, the hanging scale pattern jar (through ear jar) and the single handle jar, although their shapes are not as exquisite as other utensils, they are also quite innovative. The two symmetrically protruding small buttons on both sides of the cover of the through ear jar correspond to the two ears of the jar body, and have holes that can pass through from top to bottom, hence it is called the through ear jar. The entire jar is carved with patterns on top and bottom. The lid is adorned with a heavy ring pattern, the upper part of the can body is adorned with a steal curve pattern, and the lower part and circle feet are adorned with a hanging scale pattern.
And this single handle can, at first glance, looks like a pot, but without a spout. It only has a handle cast on the body of the pot, and the whole body is plain, which also makes it stand out from the crowd.
However, among these six bronze utensils, the most distinctive one is this set of tripods. It consists of two tripods, one large and one small, stacked together. The two tripods have the same shape and are both rectangular, with square ears cast on top. The cauldron we saw before was a large cauldron, including the cauldron of burial vessels, but we have never seen two cauldrons set together. Some were placed together, but these two pieces were completely cast together and were made as one piece. In terms of production technology, the small cauldron was first cast, and when casting the large cauldron on the outside, the two cauldrons on the inside and outside were cast together. This set of cauldrons is still the first to be discovered. On each of the four edges of the small cauldron inside, there are animals cast with towering horns that look like lambs, but are actually crawling dragons. These four crawling dragons, with their faucets protruding from the outside, look like they are struggling to crawl outward, while their outstretched ears and wide eyes look curiously at the outside world, appearing somewhat mischievous and cute. Experts say that the shape of crawling dragons is not commonly seen in bronze ware designs discovered in the past. On the outside, the large cauldron is also adorned with dragon patterns, creating a majestic image. This cauldron is a square cauldron, which is a characteristic of Shang Dynasty artifacts. By the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was mostly round cauldrons, and the shape of the set cauldron originated from the shape of the Shang Dynasty. However, the most intriguing thing is the four nude female slave shapes cast under the tripod. They are naked, kneeling on both knees, supporting their buttocks with two feet, while the upper body is slightly bent forward and the buttocks are stretched back, vigorously carrying the tripod. They vividly reflected the scene of slave society at that time. Some scholars believe that the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties were a period of slave society in China. Not only did agricultural production rely on slaves, but handicraft manufacturing also relied on the hard work of slaves. As a nobleman, Lady Ruijiang must also have a large number of slaves, and these nude female slave figures are a true portrayal of Ruijiang's luxurious life.
These six small and unique bronze utensils with unique features, both in terms of production techniques and design, are eye-catching. While we marvel at the superb craftsmanship of the late Western Zhou Dynasty bronze ware manufacturing, we also glimpse the luxurious living conditions of Lady Rui Jiang, and have a real feeling of the social system at that time.
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