Other Bronze in National Palace Museum, part1

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of Other Bronze from the Song dynasty! Here you will find some of the most exquisite and unique pieces of bronze artwork from this era. You can explore Hu vessels with Hunting Scenes Inlaid in Copper-like Paste, P'an with Coiled K'uei-dragon Pattern, Chime-bell set of Zi-fan, Ting with Coiled Serpent Pattern, Shakyamuni Buddha, Gilt Beast-footed Tsun with Mountain Design, Mirror with Lion and Grapevine Decorations, and Zun wine vessel of Ya-qin to Yi the father. These pieces represent a variety of styles and techniques used by Chinese artisans during this time period, and they are sure to captivate and inspire you. Come take a look at these incredible artifacts today!

1. Hu vessel with Hunting Scenes Inlaid in Copper-like Paste

The decoration on this vessel is shallow relief design portraying birds with snakes in their mouths and winged spirit figures. The decoration on this vessel is representational content as decoration, a major development in bronzes of the late Spring and Autumn period. The decoration on this vessel is a distinguishing style of decoration on Chinese bronzes.

2. P'an with Coiled K'uei-dragon Pattern

Water vessels were used in ceremonial washing and gradually became popular in the middle and late Western Zhou period, flourishing in the Spring and Autumn period. Since it is known from the contents of some bronzes with inscriptions that many were related to women's betrothal, it indicates the importance of ceremonial washing and the marriage of women at the time.

3. Chime-bell set of Zi-fan

The Museum purchased 12 pieces of "Zi-fan" chimes in September 1994. By joining the respective inscription on each chime, 8 proved to have belonged to one set, together with 132 characters (two dittoed) in the complete text. The remaining 4 were the second half of another set.

4. Ting with Coiled Serpent Pattern

Bronze ceremonial vessels unique to the state of Qin gradually emerged during the mid Spring and Autumn period, but it was not until the middle of the Warring States period that they became strongly influenced by the vessels from Wei of San-chin. For example, the ting originally had a shallow body without a cover as well as standing handles and thick feet, but it became one with a deep body and a round cover with handles and feet. The vessel here is a typical Qin ting before this era of transformation.

5. Shakyamuni Buddha

Shakyamuni is represented here in the full lotus position sitting on a two-tiered stand, right hand in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra, and left hand resting on his robe. The inner section of the body halo behind the Buddha figure has seven Buddha icons, with U-shaped flames adorning the outer section, accentuating the figure and enhancing its grandeur. The top tier of the stand is a Mt. Sumeru throne decorated with lotuses, and at the side with floral scrolls Two lions sit at the base, their heads turned back, their posture majestic The lower tier is a square stand decorated with rolling waves, each side carved with figures making offerings, and floral scrolls

6. Gilt Beast-footed Tsun with Mountain Design

The tsun was the main wine vessel used in the Han dynasty. The surface of this vessel was gilt, and its outer decoration composed of images of spirits, auspicious beasts, and winged (immortal) figures. These images represent paradise as envisioned by people in the Han dynasty.

7. Mirror with Lion and Grapevine Decorations

The casting of mirrors in the Tang dynasty was exceptionally fine, and they often featured decorations with a foreign flavor. This mirror with lions and grape vines is an important example of such works. The lions on this mirror are all in unique postures. The insects and birds cavort between the lions and the grapevines, flowing with a beautiful and uninterrupted symmetry. This mirror presents a combination of West Asian animal and plant decorations with a Chinese style of mirror. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty had an exquisite book shaped mirror case specially made to store this piece. The inside of the case was painted with a realist depiction of the design on the mirror. Such a realistic style represents a new influx of influence from west.

8. Zun wine vessel of Ya-qin to Yi the father

The same Ya-qin crest is found on the bronze zun vessel as well as the bronze seal. On the body of the vessel, the front and back are each adorned with an "animal mask pattern" in relief, with accompanying "dragon-head and phoenix-body patterns" on each side. The spaces between the main patterns are decorated with "cloud and lightning earth patterns" sandwiched between two string patterns, and thin grid patterns in relief adorn the lower part of the vessel belly. The inscriptions have four characters to each line, and the tribal crest of a "qin" character within a "ya" character is prominently displayed. This ceremonial wine vessel was made for the purpose of worshiping Yi the father in the ancestral temple.

9. Chia Measure

The Chia liang measures are a combination of five measures. The main body is a "hu." Turned over, it becomes a "tou." The left measure is a "sheng," and the right one is a "ho," below which is a "he." Two "he" equal one "ho," ten "ho" equal one "sheng," ten "sheng" equal one "tou," and ten "tou" equal one "hu." The inscription explains the origins, individual parts, and dimensions of the individual parts.

10. Gui food container of Lady Xian Ji