Lotus and Crane Kettles
2 min readA pair of square bronze kettles from the late Spring and Autumn Period are two outstandingartifacts from China’s Bronze Age. Their name comes from the ornamental themes on the kettles.Compared with the solid and solemn style of bronzeware in the Western Zhou Dynasty, thesquare kettles are light in stature and graceful in style. The exquisite carvings on the kettles feature smooth lines and elaborate designs without looking too crowded.
The square kettles are not exactly square, as the four sides of each are not exactly of thesame width. The neck is a little narrower than the body, which bulges towards the bottom.Two dragon-like animals are attached to two facing sides, which seem to serve as handles.A legendary beast clings onto each of the four lower corners. Two strange beasts hold up the kettle from underneath the bottom rim.
The lid is decorated with a ring of lotus petals, arranged in two layers resembling a lotus in full bloom.At the center of the lotus flower is perched a crane, stretching its neck and flapping its wings.
The heavy body of the kettle and the light crane on the lid set off each other, as do the exotic patterns on the surface of the kettle and the elegant posture of the crane.Aside from the flying crane and the two beasts on the bottom, with their tails coiling upwards, the smaller flying dragons on the neck and the swimming dragons on the lower part of the kettle all imbue the heavy bronze object with a sense of motion. In particular, the fully open lotus petals resemble a floating cloud, on which the crane flies.
