Lotus Crane Square Pot
What is the Lotus Crane Square Pot?
The Spring and Autumn Lotus Crane Square Pot,one of the representative bronze wine vessels,
made of bronze in the middle of the Spring and Autumn period, is one of the first cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad in China. Unearthed in 1923 in the tomb of Duke Zheng at Lijialou, Xinzheng, Henan, one was collected in the Bronze Museum of Palace Museum in Beijing, and the other was collected in Henan Museum.
The main body of this pot is a square pot that has been popular since the late Western Zhou Dynasty. It has a lid, ears, and feet. The focus is on the lower abdomen, and various additional decorations adorn the upper and lower parts of the body, not only creating an extraordinary decorative effect, but also reflecting an important change in the aesthetic concept of bronze art in the Spring and Autumn period. In December 2015, the lotus crane square pot was transported to Beijing for exhibition.
Characteristics
The lotus and crane square pots are a pair of two, but there is a slight difference in height. The Palace Museum has a collection height of 125.7 cm, which is called the "standing crane square pot". The Henan Museum has a collection height of 126.5 cm, which is called the "lotus and crane square pot". The weight of the two square pots is the same, both weighing 64.28 kilograms, with a square mouth, a length of 30.5 centimeters, and a width of 54 centimeters. The body of the pot is a flat square body, and the belly of the pot is decorated with a dragon pattern, with dragon horns standing upright. On all sides of the pot, there is also a divine beast adorned with curved horns, wings on the shoulders, and a long tail rolled up. There are two curly tailed beasts under the ring feet, with scales on their bodies, heads turned outward, and branched horns. The rolling tail beast that supports the pot body and the dragon and beast adorned on the pot body are moving upwards, echoing each other. The lid of the pot is cast into the shape of a lotus petal, with a circle of plump double layered petals spreading out in all directions, and the petals are covered with hollow small holes. In the center of the lotus petal,
There is a small movable cover in the center of the lotus petal,there is a Seonhak station standing in the middle of the petals. It seems that the crane is raising its head and flapping its wings, looking up into the distance in a smart shape.
Appreciation of it
From the perspective of production technology, the lotus crane square pot was cast using various techniques such as round carving, bas relief, fine carving, welding, etc., which is exquisite, reflecting the overall style of the Spring and Autumn period, and forming a sharp contrast with the solemn bronze style of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
The lotus crane square pot is not only exquisite and novel in decoration, but also complex in structure and exquisite in casting. It can be called a model of bronze craft in the Spring and Autumn period. The vessel, which has a height of 116 centimeters and a weight of 65 kilograms, is decorated with various patterns and additional accessories, with extremely complex designs. The top lid is composed of 10 sets of double layered bronze lotus petals, each in a hollow form; The decorative patterns on the pot body are made using shallow relief techniques, and are also decorated with dragon, phoenix, tiger and other decorative patterns carved with Yin lines. Various techniques such as round carving, shallow relief, fine carving, and welding were used in the entire decoration process of the lotus crane square pot. The exquisite craftsmanship of the lotus and crane square pot reflects the style of the era during the great transformation of the Spring and Autumn Period, and also shows that the level of industrial technology of the State of Zheng, especially the level of bronze casting in the Spring and Autumn period, was unique at that time.
This pot (Lotus Crane Square Pot) has a thick and eerie traditional pattern all over its body, giving people an unnamed oppression that can almost suffocate. It is a two layer parallel arrangement of lotus petals on the lid of the pot, with plants as the pattern. It was only seen before the Qin and Han dynasties. In the middle of the lotus petals, a fresh and handsome white crane (crane) stands again, flying its wings and one foot (Mr. Guo Moruo wrote this sentence after watching the picture of lotus crane square pot, and the lotus petals cover one foot of the crane, so there is a "single foot", and the crane actually stands on two feet). The tiny gap between its beak makes it want to sing, which is one of the symbols of the Zeitgeist. This crane, at the beginning, has broken through the grandeur of ancient times and is full of ambition, standing in awe of everything, trampling on tradition at its feet, and intending to soar higher and farther. In the early years of the Spring and Autumn period, when it emerged from the semi mythological period of the Yin and Zhou dynasties, all social situations and spiritual and cultural aspects were faithfully expressed.
A bird stands on the top of the pot, its wings are stretched out, the two dragons on the side of the pot are looking at it, and the two chi on the bottom of the pot are resisting and eager to try. With the attachment of Pang Ran's great device, there is a centrifugal trend, which is the most symbolic of the Zeitgeist of striving for liberation and welcoming the dawn.
Other delicate bronze liquid vessels
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