Ancient Chinese character decoration
1 min readIn the beginning, bronze ware inscriptions were in discreet places, such as the interior surface of vessels and on handles. Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, some bronze ware inscriptions were put in prominent places as decorations.
The earliest vessel is Luanshu Fou of the Jin Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period. The vessel is smooth and has no lines or decorations. The inscription, including 40 characters in four lines, is on the neck and shoulder of the object. Gracefully manipulated metal is decorated between the strokes. Typical similar objects include E Jun Qi Jie(Jie is an authorization for water and road transport issued by ancient emperors or courts).
Luanshu Fou with gold wire inlaid inscription 40.5cm high. Kept in the National Museum of China. On the shoulder of the vessel there is an inscription of 40 Chinese characters in five lines, recording the merits Dafu of the Jin Kingdom Luanshu attacked the Zheng Kingdom and later defeated the Chu Kingdom.
The character structure of bronze ware inscriptions gradually evolved into patterns to satisfy decorative requirements. Metal-inlaid bird and insect patterns can be seen on the weapons used by nobles of the Wu, Yue, Chu, Cai and Song fief states during the Spring and Autumn Period. The styles lasted until the Han Dynasty.
Inscriptions on some bronze vessels are like decorative designs, and it can be hard to distinguish inscriptions from patterns.
