Other Bronze in National Palace Museum, part2

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of other bronze artifacts from the Song dynasty! Here, you can explore a variety of different bronze vessels and objects, including Gui food containers with square bases and phoenix patterns, Zun wine vessels dedicated to Yi the grandfather, Square Ding cauldrons of Marquis of Kang, Mirrors of Shang-fang with TLV patterns, Square gui food containers with Ya Chou emblems, P'eng-tsu-ting Tings, Gilt Beast-footed Tsuns with Mountain Designs, Gui food containers of Lady Xian Ji, Hsing Chi Shih Tsuns and He wine/water vessels of Bo-ding. These artifacts provide us with a unique insight into the culture and customs of the time period. Come take a look at these incredible artifacts today!

1. Gui food container with square base and phoenix pattern

Gui vessels and ding cauldrons were important types of bronze food containers often used together. Cauldrons were used to hold meat, while gui vessels held cooked rice, maize, and other grains.

2. Zun wine vessel to Yi the grandfather

The vessel is decorated with four openwork flanges. The exterior surfaces of the lip and neck are decorated with tapering leaf-shaped patterns, below which dragon patterns with curled tails can be seen.

3. Square Ding cauldron of Marquis of Kang

The vessel was commissioned by Marquis of Kang and is named Fong 封. According to historical documents, he was an uncle of King Cheng and the youngest brother of the King's father. The vessel is a cubiform body that stands on four straight cylinder feet with a cicada motif.

4. Mirror of Shang-fang with TLV pattern

This mirror has a round knob on the back and is decorated with geometric patterns, protrusions, the Four Spirits, and immortal figures. There is also a ring of auspicious text that states that "the making of this 'fine' mirror is of great favor.

5. Square gui food container with Ya Chou emblem

This gui food container has a square body and a wide mouth. The neck and the longer sides of the ring foot are decorated with kui phoenix patterns, while the belly is adorned with animal mask patterns. The shorter sides of the ring foot are decorated with bird patterns.

6. P'eng-tsu-ting Ting

The ting is the heaviest and largest vessel in the National Palace Museum. It is decorated with animal-mask patterns, which creates a grand and majestic effect. The initial character of the inscription, "P'eng," is the symbol of the clan of which the person who made this vessel belonged to.

7. Gilt Beast-footed Tsun with Mountain Design

The tsun was a type of wine vessel used in the Han dynasty. The surface of the vessel was often gilt, and it was decorated with images of spirits, auspicious beasts, and winged (immortal) figures. These images represented paradise as envisioned by people in the Han dynasty.

8. Gui food container of Lady Xian Ji

The use of jade mentioned in the bronze inscription indicates that it was chiefly used for rewards, edicts, gifts, entertaining, and sacrifices.

9. Hsing Chi Shih Tsun

The phoenix bird is a mythical bird that is said to live for 500 years before it dies, then it is reborn from the ashes. The phoenix bird with a large tail seen here was a brand new form of decoration that rose around the time of King Mu in the mid Western Zhou period.

10. He wine/water vessel of Bo-ding