西周早期雙⿓龍紋簋 Gui Food Container with Twin Dragon Pattern Period: Early Western Zhou Dynasty (11th-10rd century BCE) Culture: China Medium: Bronze Dimensions: height 21.3cm /diameter at mouth14.9cm/diameter at base 17.1cm Accession Number: 故銅 2388/呂⼀一九〇⼀一 On view in Gallery 305
This bronze was categorized as a gui, a bowl-shaped food container with a narrower ringed-foot on the bottom that was popular during Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Gui gained its importance in early Western Zhou Dynasty due to the role it played in religious ceremony and the symbolism it stood for the nobles. Experts believe that this object was made in Early Zhou Dynasty based on its semicircular handles with earlobe-like decoration. 1 At first, I was attracted by the conical and cylindrical protrusions on the lid, which I discovered to be the horns of dragons. If taking a closer look at the object, people might be surprised by the fact that the shape of the Gui Food Container with Twin Dragon Pattern is not symmetrical while most of other exhibits in the showroom did follow the rules of symmetry. It is the slightly asymmetric shape that kindled my curiosity and drew my attention into the patterns on it. Several incised diamonds seem to be placed under arrangement, lying in ascending array, which well covered the unexpected swells on the gui. Not until I saw the line-sketched diagram from top of the gui did I realize that the swelling parts are actually the bodies of two coiling dragons. Also, the lid fits the vessel perfectly,
1
“……下垂長珥為周初新簋制的最大特色。”
游國慶主編 , 吉金耀采 : 院藏歷代銅器 = Rituals Cast in Brillance : Chinese bronzes through the ages , (臺北市 : 國立故宮博物院, 2015) , 65
1
aligning the head and the body of dragons, which shows an astonishing rotational symmetry if you look down from the top. Viewers could be puzzled by the patterns and the shape of so called “dragons” rather than “snake”. Indeed, if we cast aside incision of dragons’ head on the lid, the body parts no doubt look like snakes. To solve this question, one should know more about the historical context of that time. Literally there was no such thing as “dragon” in ancient China, but the snake that was exaggeratedly depicted with a human face did exist in the mythology and claimed to be the origin of “dragon.”2 So the snake-like dragons might somehow present the process of this transformation. As for the differences between two dragons, basically the horns, research indicates that they may signify the concept of Chinese Yin and Yang. This point of view further supports that the pattern of two dragons coiling across is what became the Taijitu nowadays.3 Whether it is related to the Taijitu or not, the creativity and inspiration through the Gui Food Container with Twin Dragon Pattern are beyond question, and earn it the honor as National Treasure. (There are 2
“雙龍紋代表了中國古代華夏民族的宗教信仰。雙龍是夏民族的祖神，在國語晉語『二龍』神話故事中， 便曾『而言曰』它倆是『褒之二先君』。” 袁德星, “雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題”, 故宮季刊, 第十二卷, 第一期, 99 “……在商周時代中國人心目中的龍蛇是不分的……對於雙龍紋簋上的龍紋，不但可以視為雙蛇，他同時 也是龍蛇之形象。” 袁德星, “雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題”, 60 3 “易經上的太極圖，在戰國以前是不存在的，這樣重要的既含有哲理又含有美學價值的圖像，如果早就 存在的話，一定會出現在青銅器時代的裝飾美術之中，然而戰國以前並沒有發現太極圖，也沒有發現八卦， 但類似太極的雙龍則是有的。而雙龍也無疑是含有象徵陰陽乾坤的雌雄二性。” 袁德星, “雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題”, 83
2
13,172 pieces of bronzes in National Palace Museum, only eight of them were dubbed as National Treasure.)
Appendix
u
View of the Gui from top 雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題;故宮季刊第十二卷第一期(袁德星,1977,p89)
u
God and Goddess of Han Dynasty 雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題;故宮季刊第十二卷第一期(袁德星,1977,p85)
3
u
Twin Dragons pattern from 4000-‐4th BCE 雙龍紋簋的裝飾及其相關問題;故宮季刊第十二卷第一期(袁德星,1977,p84)
4