The British Museum's collection of Chinese bronze sculpture

Gorgeous green rust that ritual

Before the widespread use of iron man, many civilizations have know how to produce china bronze statue. On a global scale, the ancient Indian, Greek, Roman bronze masterpiece mostly weapons, while China is more difficult to cast, the main container complex ornamentation. Them to craft exquisite, rich content types and deep unique in world history.

British Museum collection of Chinese bronze range, covering the wine, water heater, tableware, weapons, traveling, etc. common shapes. Although there is also the Han and Tang bronze mirrors, but the period of the Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts known. Some fine shape not only beautiful, but also has a high historical value, if China should be regarded as back national treasures.

Double Sheep statue of the British Museum, China's Shang Dynasty hall a particularly striking bronze sculpture. It is cast in the 13th century BC to the 12th century, with the "good woman" (the wife of Wang Wuding business) style similar vessels excavated from the tomb, belonging to the South bronze style. As the name suggests, this bronze in the shape of two back to back links as one of the rams, four were cleverly used as a support leg of lamb, the sheep's back is a vessel laden with the cylinder mouth. Two sheep with curved horns are long, eyes, mouth and beard are vividly shaped, reminiscent of the famous national treasure "four sheep side respect." Soft and elegant patina, moderate and symmetrical, the complicated ornamentation and thick texture Zhuopu respect given to double the sheep can not describe the charm, so that the audience enchanted, addicted.

Western Zhou Dynasty unearthed in 1931 Kanghou Gui Xun County, Henan Province, Wei Hou Xin village tomb, living overseas in the war, eventually settling in the British Museum. The Gui height 24 cm, diameter 41 cm, two symmetrical semi-circular handles are decorated on the nose Shoutou Alice. Gui's mouth and feet alternately fire lines and head lines, the abdomen densely carved smooth vertical stripes. Of particular interest is the bottom Kanghou Gui inscriptions engraved with 24 characters, King recorded the week of cutting business, Kang Hou Jianguo at the command of the history of health, while the masters of Ta shows Gui (pronounced "no"), Stuart casting this objects to commemorate his dead father. Western Zhou bronze statue inscriptions into a segment is a major feature, because most of the Shang Dynasty bronze engraved with one word only. Zhou wrote in the objects of their worship achievements, I hope enjoy the offerings at the time their ancestors to be known. Therefore, the Western Zhou bronze inscriptions of the importance of more than decoration, than the pursuit of meaning representation. Emotion is not only the strokes of Chinese calligraphy inscriptions of a font, they returned to the relevant history books provide conclusive evidence.

Zhou Boqi is a Western Zhou chinese bronze wine container, it gives the elegant rounded sense of the abdomen, showing bright bow-shaped beam lifting the tension at the same time with full bronze to break the inherent arc dull and rigid. Ti Liang and wine container body connected at the cleverly designed two-dimensional beast. Wine container body all over the beautiful decoration, abstract Bird pattern is most striking. Academics believe that the bird-shaped ornamentation began in the mid-Western Zhou bronzes and jade for decoration, identification of objects can be regarded as manufacturer's certificate. It is worth mentioning that the British looted before, Zhou Boqi wine container who the private collection of Emperor Qianlong, the Qing court records of a large spectrum of Tibetan bronze dragon recorded "Old West Kam clear" evidence of this fact. The book with the line drawing technique draw Zhou Boqi wine container hook shape and pattern, and the real objects almost exactly. In addition, the "ancient Kam," also translated wine container body and the wine container covered with inscriptions, the history of our study of the mid-Western Zhou great help.