Page 154 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

The Horse Motif 馬紋
During the Xia 夏, Shang 商 and Western Zhou 西周 dynasties, the
horse native to China was not as elegant or beautifully built as the
horses imported into China in the Qin 秦, Han 漢 and later periods, but
was a rather short, thick-necked creature with large ears. Nevertheless,
the horse, because of its speed, strength and stamina as well as its
importance in war, was highly valued by the Chinese, often compared
in vitality with the dragon.

The horse motif was not particularly common on the bronze vessels
of the earliest periods, but several bronze horse vessels in the round
dating from the Shang 商 and Western Zhou 西周 dynasties have been
unearthed in China over the past 80 or so years. In 1955, one such
vessel, a mid Western Zhou 西周中期 horse-shaped zun 馬尊 with a
very long inscription, was unearthed at Mei county 眉縣, Shaanxi 陝西
province and is conserved in the National History Museum in Beijing.

The Hare or Rabbit Motif 兔紋

Because of its gentle nature, its nimble movements and its ability to
reproduce prolifically, the hare or rabbit was, for the ancient Chinese,
an auspicious symbol of gentility, grace and fertility.

Though not commonly seen, the hare or rabbit sometimes appeared as a
secondary decorative motif on the bronze ritual vessels of the Shang 商
and Western Zhou 西周 dynasties. One particularly charming example
is an early Western Zhou 西周早期 zhi 觶 drinking vessel unearthed in
1971 at Luoyang 洛陽 in Henan 河南 province, which is decorated in
its centre with a band of lively rabbits depicted in profile in high relief.

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Horse motif, detail of a pang (bow fitting), Shang dynasty, Yinxu period (circa 14 – 12 /11
centuries B.C.).
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