LATE SHANG TO EARLY WESTERN ZHOU
A Period of Brilliance
The period from the 13th to the 11th century BC is a high point in the evolution
of Chinese bronze art. During this time the relative stability of central
political power encouraged rapid economic development. This is clearly reflected
in the material culture of the time, as exemplified by a wide range of bronze
types, unparalleled before or since. Bronze art of this period mainly used
realistic animal designs or the heads of imaginary animals as decoration. It has
a strong religious flavor that created a flamboyant yet powerful and solemn
style. Inside each vessel is inscribed the owner's clan name and the name of the
ancestor to whom it was dedicated. A few vessels also have inscriptions that
record particular events.
The principal group of bronze ritual containers during the late Shang period
consists of wine vessels. Such utensils, with various functions, already
existed, demonstrating that wine played a special role in everyday sacrificial
activities for the Shang prior to the establishment of the state. Now, many new
vessel shapes emerged. The gu became much taller and its belly shrank in size,
bearing little resemblance to the short, wide gu of earlier periods. The Huang
gu has open slits on the edge of the dragon-pattern band above the ring foot
that were used to ensure that the core and the outer mould were aligned
properly. This was a major advance in casting technology.
The zhi, a covered wine cup with a ring foot, is a new vessel type that first
emerged in this period. The zhi with an animal mask design has a wide mouth, a
narrow neck and an oblate body. Although the vessel is small, its form is
robust. The zhi's belly is decorated with an animal mask with wide nostrils and
horns that curve outwards. The animal's body is drawn as a narrow band that
twists up towards the rim of the vessel and then sweeps downwards as a tail.
Sharp claws on either side of the animal's mouth turn in towards each other.
This is a typical animal mask of the late Shang period.
The jia had already appeared in the Xia period but underwent some changes during
the late Shang. The jia with an animal mask design has particularly elongated
posts that emphasize the effectiveness of its decoration. Its three legs are
both long and sturdy, giving the vessel an imposing air.
Some of the larger wine vessels frequently discovered from this period, such as
zun and lei, have special features. There are 2 types of zun: one is the wide
mouthed shouldered zun, the other gu-shaped zun. The former, exemplified by the
zun with an animal mask design has 3 realistic ox heads on its shoulders; the
latter, represented by the Wei Fu Gui zun has flanges emerging from 4 sides of
the vessel, sturdy in shape. Different parts of the zun are decorated with
different styles of animal mask, and a thunder pattern design forms the ground.
The lines of the design are fine, deep and of incomparable quality.
The you is a wine vessel that appears in the late Shang period. Its body is a
flattened oval. A movable loop handle with a dragon head at each end is attached
to its neck on two sides and the cover fits over the vessel's mouth. Based on
material from early Western Zhou burials, it appears that a pair of you, one
small and one large, were used in ritual practices. Another type of you, called
an owl you, is formed from two owl-shapes positioned back to back. The Xi you
ingeniously uses the owl's head to make the vessel cover; its wings form the
belly of the vessel and the owl's feet grip the body of the you. Cleverly
combining the shape of the bird with the external appearance of the you, this is
a special type of bronze wine vessel.
Fang yi are rectangular wine vessels with covers that resemble the roof of a
house. They were used in pairs. In the Ding fang yi the 4 corners of the vessel
have long, narrow flanges. The vessel's mouth, belly and foot form a single
body. A rectangular opening occurs low down on each face of the fang yi, so that
it appears to have an L-shaped foot on each corner.
Gong are unusually shaped wine vessels, with a slanting cover. At the front of
the cover there is always an animal head that corresponds to the vessel's spout.
Another large wine vessel, the lei, has a tall, wide body. Wine was kept in the
lei during a sacrifice or feast and distributed among the smaller vessels.
Among the bronze food vessels dating to the late Shang period - fewer in number
than the wine vessels - the ding constitutes a major group. It was indispensable
for religious ceremonies or for entertaining relatives and friends. Flat-legged
ding and fang ding possessed special functions and are quite rare. Fang ding
were at that time called qi. They were used in pairs from the early Shang period
and are shaped like square bowls.
The li is a companion vessel to the ding. In the early period it could be used
as a cooking vessel but late Shang period bronze Li are often exquisitely
decorated and, of course, unsuitable for cooking purposes. Instead, they were
used for food containers.
Gui were containers for millet, rice and other grains. During the Shang and Zhou
periods gui were among the most important ritual vessels. Gui dating to the
early Shang period have been unearthed, but they are few in number. From the
beginning of the late Shang they gradually become more numerous.
The pou is never inscribed. All have large mouths spreading rims and short
necks. The pou decorated with four rams' heads is short, oblate and ample in
shape. Typical of the late Shang period, this vessel proved unpopular and, by
the end of the period, was no longer in use.
Late Shang bronze art is one of the most outstanding achievements of ancient
Chinese civilization of the Xia and Shang periods. Taking historical conditions
and the particular characteristics of these periods into account, it ranks
highly with anything accomplished in latter times. Today, some 3000 years later,
these exquisite bronzes still evoke wonder and admiration.
The 11th century BC saw the beginning of the Western Zhou period. Because early
Zhou culture was not highly developed, it lacked the necessary technology to
create an individual bronze art. Consequently, the majority of vessel shapes and
decorative styles followed Shang practice. Nevertheless, there was a gradual
decrease in the range of wine vessels, and some increase in the range of food
utensils.
The Zhou people placed greater emphasis than had the Shang on the value of
inscriptions. Zhou inscriptions describe in detail the owner's identity and
status, and the good standing of his family. Many inscribed vessels were
displayed in the ancestral temples of their owners and were regarded as sacred.
Often these inscriptions contain important material reflecting historical
events. Certain Western Zhou bronzes owe their renown more to the significant
content of the inscriptions cast on them than the artistic merit of their
design.
The principal food vessels of the Western Zhou period are ding and gui. Apart
from flat-legged ding, rectangular, shallow-bellied fang ding were also used in
this period.
The yan is a rice steamer. The vessel is split into two parts; the top part that
held rice has a grate inside and is called a zeng. The bottom part, to contain
water, is a li. The water in the li was heated and steam cooked the rice inside
the zeng.
The gui is a major food vessel in the early Western Zhou period. It underwent
many formal changes, although the basic shape of the gui remained similar to
that of the late Shang period. Gui with square stands have never been found
among late Shang period bronzes, but they are a characteristic product of Zhou
culture. Many of these stands were probably made from wood or woven from grasses
and therefore have not been preserved.
Source: Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Shanghai Museum, Chen Peifen, Scala Books