Page 161 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

The chonghuan motif 重環紋 was mostly used to decorate the borders
of vessels and their covers.

The “Waves and Curves” Boquwen 波曲紋 or “Bands of Links”
Huandaiwen Motif 環帶紋

This rather abstract motif was very popular during the Western Zhou
西周 dynasty (circa 12 /11 centuries BC – 771 B.C.) where it was
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often employed as the central motif on large ding 鼎. Its combination
of highly rising and lowering undulating curves filled with smaller,
curving, hooked motifs made it ideal for the decoration of the whole
body or a large section of a vessel.

The “Coiling Snake” or Panhui Motif 蟠虺紋

In Chinese, the word hui 虺 is used to refer to a ‘poisonous snake’, but
it is difficult to say now whether or not the designers of this motif in
ancient times meant for the small snake in this pattern to represent a
poisonous variety of the serpent.

At any rate, the ‘coiling snake’ panhui 蟠虺 motif consists of tightly
packed, wriggling, small, stylized, snake-like patterns repeated over
and over again, a technique made possible by the impression of molds
covered with this intricate design.

Boquwen “ Waves and curves” motif on fangyan, late Western Zhou dynasty or early Spring and
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Autumn period (circa 9 – 8 centuries B.C.) – Meiyintang Collection n° 194.
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