The art peak in the eyes of westerners and the Cultural identity of Chinese people
Why are so many Chinese bronzes circulating overseas? This is because Chinese bronze ware has a very prominent position in the history of Chinese and world civilization. Professor Zhang Changping, who has been focusing on the study of Chinese bronze artifacts scattered overseas for many years, said that the collection of Chinese bronze artifacts overseas is a very complex issue. In this lecture, he shared the dissemination, collection, research, and protection of overseas bronze ware.
The bronze civilization represented a relatively advanced civilization in society at that time
Bronze ware is closely related to China's history and culture, as well as the formation of our current traditions and cultural patterns. Ancient rulers attached great importance to bronze, as the bronze civilization represented a relatively advanced civilization in society at that time. The Book of the Han Dynasty · History of Emperor Wu recorded that Emperor Wu of Han "got the tripod on the Fenshui River" and changed the year title to "Yuan tripod". This tripod should be from the Western Zhou Dynasty, but Emperor Wu of Han still thought it was a special happy event, so he commemorated it in this way. Another emperor who paid special attention to ancient civilization and art was Emperor Huizong of Song. The Song Dynasty paid special attention to etiquette, which also set off an ancient fashion boom. For example, the famous Dasheng Bell in the Song Dynasty imitated the bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Now we go to the museum to see the name of Gu, Jue, Jia and other bronze wares, which were also called by the Song people. The Song Dynasty also formed a Epigraphy.
After the Song Dynasty, there was no interruption in the emphasis on bronze ware in various dynasties, including foreign tribes such as the Yuan and Qing dynasties. Emperor Qianlong was very fond of antiques, and he compiled a catalog of the artifacts collected by the court called the "Qianlong Four Classics", which mainly consisted of bronze ware. At that time, there were still many enamel, porcelain, and wooden artifacts that appeared to have the style of the Qing Dynasty, but prototypes of Shang and Zhou bronze ware could be found.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were many antique collectors among the scholar bureaucrats. Pan Zuyin, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, collected the very famous Da Yu ding and Da Ke ding, which were later donated to the Shanghai Museum by his descendants. Another major collector was the aristocratic Duanfang of the Qing Dynasty, who could be considered one of the major collectors of the time. During the Xinhai Revolution, Duanfang was killed and his family rapidly declined, which was also a representative event of the massive loss of bronze ware in the late Qing Dynasty. Due to the turbulent changes in the political landscape, a large number of collectibles have been sold, which has become very advantageous for the West to acquire bronze ware. A set of Shang Dynasty bronzes collected by Duanfang were sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for about 200000 taels of silver. At that time, 200000 taels of silver were equivalent to 200000 US dollars, and the price of bronze ware was usually four to five hundred US dollars, so the museum had a long discussion before making a decision to purchase. So far, this set of bronzes has been placed in the most important position of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Why is bronze ware so valued from China to the West? Bronze ware was a representative of the objectification of etiquette in early Chinese history, and the use of bronze culture to maintain social class and stabilize governance has been running through ancient Chinese society. So the essence of the Song Dynasty emperors' love for antiques is also this reason. In the Warring States period, "conquering the Central Plains" and in the Three Kingdoms Period, "three pillars standing side by side" are all objects representing the identity of a country or a person, which has formed a profound identity in our traditional culture.
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