Four Sheep Square Zun
2 min readZun is a kind of wine vessel with special shape, which was prevalent in the Shang Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty. As some Zuns simulate animal shape, they are also known as “bird-animal zuns “. Four Sheep Square Zun features square mouth rim and long neck. Carved sheep pattern on four edges follows from the shoulder to the foot, with projected body forward. Curved horns and refifi ned rolling cloud pattern on the body are detailed and realistic. Banana leaf pattern and Kui pattern are main decoration patterns carved below mouth rim, on the shoulder and on the ring foot, which are extremely refifi ned and vivid. Four Sheep Square Zun is cast by means of separate casting method, and its molding and casting processes are very complex. Four Sheep Square Zun is the outstanding representative of bronze casting process in the Shang Dynasty.
Sheep’s head are carved in high relief. Sheep horn is curved in wards to form a beautiful arc, on which loop lines are engraved. With protruding eyes and slightly open mouth, the sheep seems chewing grass and bleating. A row of curly hair flows from the neck to chest. Over the sheep body, large and small regular rolling cloud patterns are dotted, representing the curl wool.
The production of bronzeware
Step 1 “molding”: making mud sample with clay, which is as like as two peas compared with casting object, and then engraving decorative pattern. Step 2 “making model”: using fine mud to make mud sheet attached outside the model, drying the model, dividing into several blocks according to shape characteristic (i.e., “outer model”; and then adopting the same method to make “inner model”. Step 3 “combining model”: combining inner model and outer model together (the distance between inner model and outer model is the thickness of object wall). Step 4 “pouring”: pouring copper liquid into the space between the models. Step 5 “removing model”: removing inner model and outer model after cooling of copper liquid. Step 6 “grinding”: grinding and refined processing for cast object.
Kui pattern
Kui pattern is one of the decorative patterns on bronzeware. Dagon is an animal according to the ancient legend. Its image originated very early, but it first appeared in the Shang Dynasty as the bronzeware ornamentation. The ancients used the dragon to symbolize God of Water, therefore, the image of dragon mainly appears in the bronzeware water vessels. Such image can roughly fall into crawling dragon pattern, curling dragon pattern, crossing dragon pattern, twin-head dragon pattern and double-body dragon pattern. Kui is a one-legged monster like dragon according to ancient legend, which was believed by the ancients that “a storm is bound to come out after Kui swims in and out the river”.
