The Evolution of Human Image in the Decorations of Shang and Zhou Bronze Wares
The study of bronze decorative patterns is a very important aspect of bronze research. As early as the Song Dynasty, some scholars (such as Wang 黼) concerned about the problem of ornamentation. Modern scholars Rong Geng, Ma Chengyuan, etc., and contemporary aesthetician Li Zehou all discussed this problem.
Many people think that the types and patterns studied by archaeologists are the same, but they are not entirely the same. Pattern decoration is mainly a type of flat decoration, but there are circular carvings, reliefs, and smaller ground patterns on the objects, which form a whole. In terms of the elements that make up decorative patterns, there are ring patterns, string patterns, C-shaped patterns, T-shaped patterns, non shaped patterns, leaf shaped patterns, etc; The layout of decorative patterns can also be divided into cover, mouth, neck, abdomen, and circular feet, which are designed according to the shape and integrity of the entire object and themselves form a combination.
In Jessica Rawson's book Lotus and Dragon: Chinese Patterns, Rosen believes that the two representative patterns of Chinese patterns are lotus and dragon. Li Ling believes that the lotus pattern has more to do with Western art and culture. Although there are animal patterns and geometric patterns in the western decorative tradition (such as the Hui pattern and the Swastika pattern in Greece), generally speaking, flowers and leaves are still dominant, such as the lotus pattern, palm pattern and rose pattern in Persia, which are Abstraction, and many column patterns are also related to plants. These patterns do not look like real lotus, palm, or rose, they are just a set concept. For example, in China, due to Buddhism, we refer to Western rose patterns as lotus patterns.
When talking about early Chinese patterns, Li Ling first talked about a type of facial pattern. In the past, because ancient people respected gods and did not want to say it was facial tattoos, it was called divine facial tattoos.
In Liangzhu jade artifacts, the most complex patterns are both large character human figures and adult faces; The jade artifacts of Shijiahe and Longshan also have facial decorations, which are quite ferocious and can also be called ghost faces; The more realistic face is the Shang Dynasty face square tripod unearthed in Hunan, but it is currently an isolated example. In the past, many people thought this was a gluttonous pattern, but Li Ling pointed out that it was a human or divine facial pattern. Recently, the unearthed cultural relics from Shimao, which was exhibited at Tsinghua University, are also very interesting, and people feel shocked after seeing them.
This type of facial image became relatively rare on bronze vessels from the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, and the patterns on bronze vessels from the Warring States period also had human images, but not facial expressions. This phenomenon is quite puzzling. Some scholars believe that they are just decoration and have no meaning. Some scholars, such as Mr. Kwang-chih Chang, advocate the "shaman theory" and believe that this kind of decoration is used to communicate with God. (Li Ling believes that what Kwang-chih Chang proposed is a kind of anthropological "pan shamanism" spirit, which mainly emphasizes the function of ancient wizards, but not all Chinese decorations have such complex meanings, which is worth discussing.)
During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, there was a significant transformation in the decorative patterns on bronze ware, with one important manifestation being the replacement of divine facial patterns by animal facial patterns and a shift towards animal patterned patterns. During this period, the decorative patterns on bronze ware were mainly divided into three categories: animal patterns, geometric patterns, and portrait patterns. The appearance time was slightly different and overlapped with each other. Before the Shang Dynasty and the mid Western Zhou Dynasty, the main patterns were dragon, phoenix, and tiger patterns; After the mid Western Zhou Dynasty and early Spring and Autumn period, geometric patterns such as string patterns, cloud and thunder patterns, vortex patterns, scale patterns, steal curve patterns, and heavy ring patterns were mainly used. Among them, the composite pattern composed of scale patterns, steal curve patterns, and heavy ring patterns, formerly known as ring pattern, is now renamed mountain pattern; During the Warring States period, portrait patterns became popular, and human images reappeared. The scenes became more grand and detailed, depicting scenes such as hunting, mulberry picking, Yanle, and war. One prominent phenomenon among them is the lack of decorative patterns in plants such as flowers and leaves in early China.
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