Studies on Copper-inlaid Bronze Vessels of Eastern Zhou Period
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Yu, Ling-wei
Abstract
In early 6th BCE (Middle Spring and Autumn period), bronze vessels with inlay started to flourish. Copper, gold, silver, turquoise, malachite, and glass, made bronze vessels colorful and stunning. The colorful bronze vessels were especially different from those monochromatic in Shang and Western-Zhou period, and became what we called the “inlay style”. Copper was the first metal used in inlay decoration. The thesis concentrated on the development of copper inlay decorations and the meaning of copper-inlaid bronze vessels in “ritual reconsturucture” in Eastern Zhou Period. Through archaeological excavation and the collections in museums, the first part of the thesis was classifying copper decorations to five groups according to motifs, styles, and techniques. Group A: copper-unit animal decorations. Group B: animal decorations with outline. Group C: pictorial decorations. Group D: stiff geometric patterns with spirals, hooks, and volutes, and free-flowing curvilinear patterns. Group E: simple geometric decorations. Through the classification, the sequence of copper inlay decorations could be ordered. Next, the thesis connected five groups of decorations to three inlay techniques: cast-inlay method, hammer-inlay method, and pseudo-copper inlay (pigment paste and lacquer). More than organized the timeline of techniques, the thesis surmised the detailed process of fabrication, the location of workshops, and the specialization of craft. Last but not least, the thesis tried to comprehend the users of copper-inlaid bronze vessels, and argued these bronze vessels were not just knickknack, but symbol of high-ranking nobles. These nobles preserved the archaic bonze vessels to show legal political power for on hand. And for the other, they patronized new style and new technique－the copper inlay. Different metals and semi-precious stone joined inlay materials subsequent to copper. Copper inlay prompted nobles to pursuing colorful bronze vessels and formed new aesthetics.
Subjects
bronze
Eastern Zhou
copper-inlay
cast-inlay
ritual reconsturucture
Type
thesis
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