Page 166 - Deydier UNDERSTANDING CHINESE ARCHAIC BRONZES

Studies of archaic Chinese bronze ritual vessels

From as early as the Western Han dynasty (circa 206 B.C. – 24 A.D.),
Chinese classical books and official historical annals comment on the
great interest shown by Chinese intellectuals in the study of ancient
ritual bronze vessels from the Xia 夏 and Shang 商 dynasties and
especially from the Zhou 周 dynasty. This keen interest was, most
probably, aroused primarily by the respect for the Zhou 周, its form of
governance and political philosophy that was fostered by Confucianism,
the state-sanctioned philosophy of the Han Empire and later Chinese
dynasties. Such interest was also strengthened by the unintentional
unearthing, from the Han 漢 dynasty onwards, of a number of archaic
bronze vessels by floods, earthquakes and mudslides, as well as during
the construction of new tombs, temples or other buildings or the
digging of wells.

Discoveries of ancient bronzes were regarded as so important that
they were recorded and discussed in the Hanshu 漢書 (Official Han
Annals). The first such documented discovery was that of a large ding 鼎
unearthed in 116 B.C., an event considered so important and auspicious
that the Emperor of the time, Wu Di 武帝 (140 – 87 B.C.) changed
his reign name to Yuanding 元鼎 or “First or Original Ding” between
the years 116 and 111 B.C.. The rightness of his decision and his belief
that the unearthing of the ancient, sacred ding 鼎 showed heaven’s
pleasure and favour toward him, were deemed confirmed when in the
6 month of the 4 year of Yuanding 元鼎四年六月 (113 B.C.), what was
th
th
believed to be yet another large Zhou ding was discovered in Fenyin 汾
陰 County, Hedong Prefecture, in present-day Baoding 寶鼎 (‘Precious
Ding’), southwest of Wanrong 萬榮, Shanxi 山西 province, an event
which was also considered important enough to be recorded in the
Hanshu 漢書. During the following centuries, certain events, many
natural, continued to bring to light a number of archaic ritual bronze
vessels and such discoveries were always considered auspicious and
signs of heaven’s favour towards the ruling house of the time.

During the Tang 唐 (circa 618 -907 A.D.) and the Song 宋 (circa 960 –
1279 A.D.) dynasties such discoveries became even more common,
which was probably at least partially due to the many public works
projects being undertaken around China at that time, as the country
prospered economically and imperial power increased. Another

Taotie mask, detail of the ding shown on page 25.

164 165