Four Sheep Bronze Square Zun
What is "zun"？
Zun was a large and medium-sized bronze wine container used in China during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Bronze ware, with a circular or square abdomen, a long neck, an open mouth, and a larger caliber. Respect was prevalent from the Shang Dynasty to the Western Zhou Dynasty, but it was already rare in the late Spring and Autumn period. The more famous one is Four-goat Square Zun. From the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Warring States period, there was another special wine container Yi. Yi people usually appear in the form of birds and beasts, with images such as sheep, tigers, elephants, rags, cows, horses, birds, geese, and phoenixes.
About the Four Sheep Bronze Square Zun
The Shang Siyang Bronze Square Zun was a bronze ritual vessel and sacrificial item of the late Shang Dynasty. Unearthed in 1938 on the mountainside of Zhuanerlun, Yueshanpu, Huangcai, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province (Tanheli), it is now collected in the National Museum of China.
The Shang Four Sheep Bronze Square Zun is the largest surviving bronze square Zun from the Shang Dynasty in China. It has a side length of 52.4 centimeters, a height of 58.3 centimeters, and a weight of 34.5 kilograms. It has a long neck, a high circular foot, and a towering neck. Each of the four corners of the Zun is molded with a sheep, and the four corners of the shoulder are made of four curled horn sheep heads. The sheep head and neck extend out of the implement, and the sheep body and legs are attached to the Zun's abdomen and circular foot. At the same time, the shoulders of Fang Zun are adorned with a dragon pattern with high relief snake body and claws. In the center of the four sides of the Zun, where two sheep are next to each other, a pair of horned dragon heads protrude from the instrument table. From each side of Fang Zun, the right shoulder winds in the middle of the front residence.
The entire Shang Siyang bronze square statue was cast using a block mold method, completed in one fell swoop, with exquisite craftsmanship, demonstrating a superb level of casting. It is known as the "ultimate bronze model" by the historical community and is listed as one of the top ten inherited national treasures in China.
Charateristics
The Shang Siyang Bronze Square Honorable Ware has a square body, a square mouth, a large edge, and an outer edge of the neck decoration. Each side has a length of 52.4 centimeters, and its side length is almost close to the height of 58.3 centimeters of the body. Long neck, high circular feet. The neck is tall and adorned with banana leaf patterns, triangular Kui patterns, and animal face patterns on all four sides. The shoulders, abdomen, and feet are cleverly designed as four curly horned sheep. The four corners of the shoulder are four curled horn sheep heads, with the sheep head and neck extending out of the implement, and the sheep body and legs attached to the abdomen and circular feet. The overall pattern is exquisite and the lines are smooth and strong. The abdomen is the front chest of the sheep, and the legs of the sheep are attached to the circular feet, bearing the weight of the body. The front chest and neck back of the sheep are decorated with scale patterns, with beautiful long crown phoenix patterns on both sides, and Kui patterns on the circular feet.
The neck of Fangzun is adorned with banana leaf patterns and ribbons of glutinous rice wine patterns composed of Kui dragon patterns. The shoulders are adorned with dragon patterns with high relief snake bodies and claws. The center of the four sides of Fangzun is adjacent to two sheep, with a pair of horned dragon heads protruding from the surface. From each side of Fangzun, the right shoulder winds in the middle of the front residence. All adorned with fine thunder patterns. Long ridges are designed at the intersection of the four corners and four central lines of the object, which are used to conceal the possible misaligned patterns that may occur during the blending process. This not only covers up the traces of blending, but also improves the monotony of the edges and corners of the object, enhancing the style and creating a seamless unity.
Production technology
According to archaeologists' analysis, the bronze square statue of the Shang Dynasty's four sheep was cast using two separate casting techniques, which involves casting the sheep horns and the dragon head separately, then placing them separately in the outer mold, and then casting them as a whole. And this cultural relic combines line carving, relief carving, and circular carving, integrating flat patterns with three-dimensional sculptures, combining the shapes of vessels and animals perfectly, and is made with exceptionally advanced casting techniques.
Cultural connotation
The bronze square statue of Shang Siyang showcases the supreme atmosphere of wine vessels in the form of four sheep and four dragons. Sheep has become the focus of bronze heavy objects, with its unique symbolic significance. During the pre Qin period, people had two generalizations about the personality of sheep: kindness, courtesy, and propriety; External softness and internal hardness. The habit of sheep kneeling on their breasts is seen as a kind and respectful gesture, and even portrayed as a model of filial piety towards their parents in later generations; The external softness and internal hardness have also been extended to many sacred qualities. The legendary ancestor Gao Tao Jingyang also mentioned in the "Book of Songs - Zhaonan" that "the government of King Wen is honest and upright, and virtue is like a lamb". The most popular or folk symbolic meaning of sheep is "auspiciousness". At least since the Han Dynasty, sheep has been associated with auspiciousness. In inscriptions such as tile tiles and bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty, inscriptions such as "Yihou Wang Da Jiyang (Xiang)" are often seen, and auspiciousness is sometimes directly written as "Jiyang".
The bronze artifacts unearthed in Hunan, represented by the bronze square statue of the Shang Four Sheep, emphasize the performance of the sheep. They not only retain the primitive totem worship, but elsalso have the intention of sacrificing sheep as a sacrifice to the gods. They also contain expectations for the prosperity of livestock breeding such as sheep, and may have sprouted various ideas about sheep in later generations. Sheep were considered auspicious in ancient times. The bronze square statue of Shang Siyang, accompanied by four sheep and four dragons, stands majestically in all directions, symbolizing auspiciousness, harmony, nobility, and prosperity.
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