What are the differences between Western bronze ware and China?
The development of bronze civilization is not balanced around the world. The Anatolian Peninsula was the earliest region to smelt and cast bronze, and currently, bronze from 6000 BC has been discovered; Mesopotamia in the two river basin entered the Bronze Age in 3000 BC, followed by the civilization of Ancient Egypt; The Bronze Age in Europe began in 2300 BC and lasted for nearly 1000 years.
Early bronzes, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and other civilizations lacked copper and other resources, so the production and use of bronzes were mostly small tools and weapons. For example, from the 1920s to the 1930s, an archaeological team led by the famous British archaeologist Leonard Woolley carried out archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Ur, Sumer. A small number of small weapons and utensils were found in the bronze unearthed in the cemetery.
There are two main differences between Western bronze ware and ancient Chinese bronze ware.
Firstly, the functions are different. For example, Ancient Greek sculpture shaped the image of God by referring to the image of man, and gave it a more ideal and perfect art form, because people at that time believed that God and man had the same form and character.
In the Bronze Age of China, bronze ware was a symbol of social hierarchy. The type and quantity of bronze ware used by the ruling class must be consistent with the identity and status of the owner, and as a tool of ritual, it was called "ritual ware".
Secondly, the casting technology is different. In Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and the subsequent Greek and Roman civilizations, bronze ware was mainly made by forging and Lost-wax casting; In China, the bronze ware was cast using the ceramic block mold method, with complex shapes and exquisite decorations, forming a unique and outstanding situation.
Chinese bronze civilization developed relatively late compared to foreign bronze civilizations. The shape of some Chinese bronze vessels has indeed been influenced by extraterritorial influences. For example, in the late Xia Dynasty, some scholars believe that the bronze nobles had a foreign style of "nobles".
In the bronze exhibition room of Shanghai Museum, there is a bronze He of the early Warring States Period that is quite eye-catching. This is a water vessel with the shape of "He", but it has a bird head and four animal claws. Some scholars (including me) believe that this is influenced by the Griffin winged divine beast.
The winged beast shaped bronze ware was not discovered in the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties of China, and is not the motif of traditional Chinese bronze ware. In recent years, according to the literature and unearthed cultural relics, scholars have made in-depth research on this, and turned their eyes to Griffin, an art theme that appeared in the Euphrates and Tigris River basins in 3000 BC, with the image of eagle headed lion, winged lion, etc. China's acceptance of Griffin may have different channels, including receiving influence from West Asia and Central Asia in the direction of Xinjiang, as well as from Eurasian grasslands in Inner Mongolia and Northeast China.
From the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States period, which roughly coincided with the prevalence of Griffin in Persia, Central Asia and Eurasia, the theme of Griffin appeared in bronzes and their decorations. The bronze He in the shape of a winged beast in the Shanghai Museum is a typical example of this cultural exchange.
Chinese bronze ware also has an impact on foreign bronze culture. For example, fragments of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors from the Warring States period were unearthed in Central Asia of the Soviet Union.
It can be seen that the eastern and western bronze civilizations communicated with each other in the early Steppe Route, earlier than Zhang Qian's diplomatic mission to the Western Regions.
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