Fig. 1. 商 青銅鬲鼎 Lobed Tripod Cauldron (Liding), 11th century B.C.E., Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 B.C.E.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Accession Number:49.136.5.
The Bronze Age in China was aptly named for the development and subsequent flourish of the use of bronze. The creativity and craftsmanship that went into the manufacture of bronze works increased the value of this important copper and tin alloy. As a result, the people of this period saw bronze as the material that could transform the purpose of familiar tools and vessels into that of a ritual object.[i]
One such item often repurposed for rituals was the tripod cauldron, like the Shang Dynasty Lobed Tripod Cauldron (Fig. 1). This cauldron, and others like it, was based on the ceramic utilitarian tripod cauldrons in use since the early Neolithic Period for cooking and holding food in the household.[ii] While use of the ceramic tripods continued, the bronze variety performed much of the same function but took on a more ceremonial quality in holding food and drink related to ancestor worship.
Fig. 2. Side view of 商 青銅鬲鼎 Lobed Tripod Cauldron (Liding).
A viewer can infer ceremonial quality by observing the level of attention that went into creating this vessel. This particular lobed shape (liding) is a variation of the standard bronze tripod cauldron (ding). Instead of a rounded, full body, the midpoints between each of the legs taper in to form three petal-like lobes (Fig. 2). Three fusion lines stretch along the lobes inside the bowel from the rim, meeting in the middle (Fig. 3). The equal portion and size of each lobe tells us that the tripod was made in three separate pieces before being fused together.
Fig. 3. Interior view of 商 青銅鬲鼎 Lobed Tripod Cauldron (Liding).
There are several assumed theories regarding casting methods, but the current favored model is the direct casting technique. For this process, a craftsman first forms a clay mold of the general shape. The mold is then decorated with incisions and additional piped clay to impart details of the design. In this case, the artist creating a highly stylized animal-like mask in split profile on either side of each lobe (Fig. 4). This creature, called a taotie, comprises high relief eyes, pointed ears, and geometrically spiraled wings or tails of an unidentified creature, along with a large nose that joins with the point of the lobe.[iii] Once the decorated mold hardened, the craftsman would cast a second, outer mold of this original decorated one. Once the outer mold was separated from the original, it would be attached to a separately made core via small bronze joints. The joints would allow for a space between the molds in which liquid bronze could then be poured. Once cooled, both internal and external casts would be destroyed and the bronze would be left in the desired shape. [iv]
Fig. 4. Detail of Fig. 2.
Being aware of this intricate and involved process, it is not surprising that bronze vessels maintained a ceremonial role. They even came to indicate status depending on the number of items you may have possessed. Evidence from burials-where these cauldrons and tend to be found- support the idea that the more elaborate a bronze ritual object, the more prominent the status of the deceased. [v] As time went on, though, bronze objects - elaborate or otherwise - did grow to take on more practical uses. However, they never seemed to lose their regard, even long after the Shang Dynasty.
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[i] Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Price, L., 1988. Masterpieces From The Los Angeles County Museum Of Art Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art., 82.
[ii] Hearn, M., 1994. Ancient Chinese Art: The Ernest Erickson Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum Of Art, 1987., 32.
[iii] While the taotie is known as a common design on Shang Dynasty bronze objects, the precise significance is unclear. They often appear as bird or bovine creatures but in many cases, due to their highly stylized nature, are unidentifiable as a specific animal. See more information in: Department of Asian Art. “Shang and Zhou Dynasties: The Bronze Age of China.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/shzh/hd_shzh.htm (October 2004).
[iv] Nickel, Lukas. "Imperfect Symmetry: Re-Thinking Bronze Casting Technology in Ancient China." Artibus Asiae 66, no. 1 (2006): 5-39. www.jstor.org/stable/25261842., 8-9.
[v] Ibid., 9.
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