Text: Xinglan Shi said
Edited |
A large number of jade artifacts have been unearthed in the cemetery of the nobles of the powerful country, including Huang, Bi, and other jade ritual vessels, as well as various jade group wearers, as well as vivid animal-shaped jade carvings.
Just as bronze ritual ware is the background of various bronze ornaments and the main theme of bronze culture, Huang, Bi, and other jade ritual vessels are also the background and main theme of jade culture, however, the brightly colored jade pendants and animal-shaped jade carvings are more full of vitality and aesthetic value.
From the jade unearthed from the cemetery, we can see the aesthetic pursuit of the Western Zhou aristocracy
Among the ornaments excavated, the most striking is the brightly colored jade charm. Jade charms are generally unearthed on the neck of the deceased. For example, the specimen BZMl3:86 is composed of 25 agate tubes and 13 agate beads.
The string method is: every two agate tubes are separated by an agate bead and connected in series with silk threads. Agate tubes and agate beads come in shades red and orange. This set of charms is colorful and very beautiful.
In addition, the specimen BZMl3∶122 consisted of 4 turquoise tubes, 33 turquoise beads, and 25 stone beads strung together at intervals. turquoise beads, shaped like mung beans; Stone beads, marble, white, small round spheres, with holes.
Turquoise and marble beads are very beautiful material beads. There are also a greater number of charms, such as the specimen BRMl Armor: 81, consisting of 311 agate beads and 2 round ornaments. In addition, there are charms on the wrists.
For example, the two wrist ornaments unearthed from Rujiazhuang No. 1 tomb are composed of jade shells. These jade shells are the same shape as sea shells, grayish-white, opaque, finely crafted, and perforated.
Judging from the unearthed jade group pendant, the combination between agate tubes, agate beads, turquoise, etc. has a large randomness, but the purpose of its decoration is the same, that is, the pursuit of orderly matching of colors.
The nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty condensed their love of beauty in these exquisitely shaped and brightly colored ornaments, and hung these beautiful jade charms on their bodies to beautify themselves and beautify their lives.
To a certain extent, this aesthetic pursuit expresses the pursuit of beauty and the love of life of the Western Zhou aristocracy. The Western Zhou nobles' love for jade pendants is also recorded in the literature.
"The Book of Rites: Yuzao" records that when the doctor of the Zhou Dynasty was about to go to the palace to pay tribute to the king, he was not good at court clothes, so he first checked whether his appearance and behavior were appropriate, and walked around to hear whether the voice made by Peiyu was in harmony with his pace.
The "Yuzao" chapter also stipulates that when the nobles wearing jade walk, the jade on the jade pendant should also make a pleasant sound with the rhythm of walking, the jade pendant on the right makes a sign sound and horn sound, and the left one makes a palace sound and a feather sound.
As the nobles walked forward, the sound produced by the jade pendant was similar to the tune of the song "Cai Qi"; When retreating, the sound made by the jade pendant is similar to the tune of "Raging Summer"; When turning around, you have to walk out of the arc; Turns, like right angles.
From the various combinations of jade pendants and documentary records unearthed, it can be felt that the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty lived in a living atmosphere of creating and appreciating beauty.
Among the jade artifacts unearthed in the state cemetery, there is also a type of animal-shaped jade carving that leaves a deep impression. For example, the animal jade carvings unearthed in Zhuyuangou have eight kinds of fish, birds, silkworms, turtles, cicadas, cows, grasshoppers, and animal heads.
These animal jade carvings generally use realistic techniques to vividly depict all kinds of birds and animals in the mountains and rivers. Such as jade silkworms, most of them are round carvings, and the body is curved and hooked, like silkworm chrysalis.
For example, specimens BZMl3:92 and 93 are all green jade, grayish-white, opaque. The head of the jade silkworm is large, the eyes are convex, the head and tail of the silkworm body have a total of six sections, and there is a round perforation at the mouth, which can be tied.
Zhuyuangou cemetery unearthed jade fish many pieces, the form is different, some fish body width is short and flat, the back bulges to be arc-shaped, the yin line carves out the round eye, fish gills, fish fin and tail ornamentation, the carving is very meticulous, the realism is strong, the fish is swimming in the water.
There are also jade fish gray-green, white texture, local transparent, the tail is slanted, the body is smaller, the back is relatively straight, the yin line is carved out of the round mouth, gills, fins and crow's feet ornamentation, and there is a perforation in the mouth.
The most striking thing is a series of jade carving animals unearthed from Rujiazhuang No. 1 Tomb. The jade deer unearthed from the No. 1 tomb of Rujiazhuang has different expressions, warm and smooth, and delicate carving.
For example, the specimen BRM1A:13 is a gray-green jade deer, the body of the deer has gray-brown spots, opaque, polished on both sides, and the round eyes, nose, mouth, hooves, tail and other lines are carved with yin lines.
The antlers are branched, the pan is curved straight up, the ears are open, the eyes are round, the front chest is slightly convex, the back is arched, the tail is short, the hind limbs are bent forward, and the shape is strong.
Specimen BRM1A: 14 is a dark gray jade deer, the surface of the instrument is bright, opaque, the two horns of the deer are symmetrically branched, short tail, hooves and feet, the yin line is carved out of round eyes, nose, mouth, hooves, etc., the deer looks back and looks, and the image is very realistic.
Specimen BRHl B: 181 is a dark gray, slightly transparent round carved jade deer, the deer is standing and looking back, no horns, two large ears on the top of the head are raised, the small tail is upturned, the body of the deer is fit, full of childishness and vitality.
Rujiazhuang also unearthed two cute little jade rabbits, one of which is running, with long ears and back, the buttocks are raised, the short tail is slightly warped, and the image is very cute; There is also a crouching position, with both eyes looking forward, long ears shrugged back, short tail, looking vigilantly, with a vivid and natural expression.
Rujiazhuang also unearthed a light yellow-brown round carved jade turtle, as a crawling shape, the head stretches forward, the round eyes bulge, and the tail is short. The dorsal armor is oval, bulging with ridges, and the back is decorated with carved squares and triangles.
The jade turtle has a piercing on its chest and can be worn. These cute animal-shaped jade carvings are truly dizzying and bring a beautiful aesthetic enjoyment. From these animal-shaped jade carvings, we can vaguely feel the living world of the Western Zhou nobles and their love for the animals around them.
In their living world, there are happy deer, jumping rabbits, chirping cicadas, and slowly climbing baby turtles, etc., and they look at these creatures around them with pity, carefully observing and feeling the joy brought by these elves.
It can be said that without the love of life, there will be no performance of life, and these animal-shaped jade carvings reflect the love of life and love for life of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
At the same time, they can carve these cute little animals into works of art with superb artistic techniques, so that the beauty of life can be fixed into eternal artistic beauty.
These animal-shaped jade carvers have holes for wearing and tying, and they may be strung together with various agate tubes, agate beads, turquoise and other materials to become exquisite ornaments, or they may be worn and tied separately and hung on the body, all of which express the love of beauty of the Western Zhou nobles.
These small animal-shaped jade carvings are not only finely carved, but also from their demeanor, they have a gentle temperament, are quiet and natural, are not aggressive, and do not pose any threat to people.
This tells us from another perspective that the Western Zhou nobles were gentle and elegant, and liked quiet and harmonious animals. In particular, there is an internal consistency between the temperament of the docile fawn and the temperament of the nobility.
As written in "The Book of Songs: Deer Song": "Yo Yo Lu Ming, Eat the Wild Ping." I have guests, drummers and shengs. Blowing the sheng drum spring, bearing the basket is the will. "This is the life of the aristocracy, very elegant and emotional.
They drank and listened to music while watching the elk not far away leisurely eating weeds. Yo You's deer song is a symbol of the elegant temperament of the Western Zhou Dynasty aristocracy, so whether in poetry or ornaments, these gentle and lovely deer have become the aesthetic objects of the aristocracy.
From the archaeological data of the cemetery, we can see the artistic spirit in the life of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty
It is worth mentioning that the Gui (specimen B2M13:20) unearthed from the No. 13 tomb of Zhuyuangou, the whole vessel is made of high-relief animal face as the main pattern, and the background of fine cloud and thunder patterns is well-made, and the whole body is gorgeously decorated and extravagant.
These decorative styles show the elaborate decorative characteristics of the mid-to-late Shang Dynasty, but a small tinkling copper bell hangs in the square seat of this bronze canon.
The small copper bell is decorated with a small animal face outlined by the yang line. When the bell is moved, the brass bell makes a pleasant sound. This small bronze bell makes the quiet sacrifice full of interest, and it can be said that it is a faint expression of the love of beauty in the context of bronze ritual and music culture.
As far as jade is concerned, the jade unearthed in the cemetery of the powerful country does not match the color and texture of the jade stipulated in the ritual system, but the existence of Huang, Bi, and other ritual jade still tells us that this is an era with the background of ritual culture, however, the ritual culture is not as monolithic as we imagined, but has its richness.
The jade pendant is a symbol of the identity and status of the nobility of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and it is recorded in the "Book of Rites and Yuzao": "The ancient gentleman must wear jade", and the color and texture of the jade have become a symbol of the aristocratic rank.
However, through the jade pendants unearthed in the national cemetery, we can clearly understand that the number and combination of agate beads, agate tubes and turquoise have a large arbitrariness in the jade pendants.
This information shows us that the ritual and music culture of the Western Zhou Dynasty was only a big principle, and it did not completely confine the development of beauty within the scope of the ritual system. Therefore, there was still a relatively broad aesthetic space in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The excavation of a large number of cute animal-shaped jade carvings shows that in the living world of the nobles of the Zhou Dynasty, jade not only has a mysterious sacrificial function, but also has a bright and healthy appreciation function.
Secondly, through the analysis of the bronze and jade artifacts unearthed in the state cemetery, we can find that the Western Zhou nobles were rich in artistic temperament, and they lived in a colorful aesthetic world.
The aristocrats of the Western Zhou Dynasty were a group of lovers of beauty, and their speech and demeanor in life should reflect a gentle and elegant temperament, and the utensils they used, whether they were ritual utensils or items in daily life, should be carefully decorated.
The artifacts unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country show us an all-encompassing aesthetic world. The nobleman wore a hairpin in the shape of a "stem" on his head, a brightly colored jade pendant on his body, and a wrist ornament made of jade shellfish on his hand.
Their clothes were adorned with all sorts of fine brass ornaments, their carriages were adorned with all sorts of elaborate ornaments, and their heads were adorned with a crown of animal faces and a shining danglu. This is a life world that is everywhere delicate and exquisite, a life world that creates beauty and savors it carefully.
Thirdly, through the analysis of the bronzes and jades unearthed in the state cemetery, we can find that the Western Zhou nobles had a very delicate aesthetic psychology.
Most of the ornaments in the jade are polished very smooth, and the warmth of the jade makes these jade objects a rare work of art. Those bronze elm leaves, which are only about 3 centimeters long, have very clear veins on them.
On the small fish-shaped ornament, the gills, fins and other parts of the fish are unambiguously outlined. Even the bells, which are about 6 centimeters high, are decorated with animal face patterns.
Among the ornaments unearthed in the state cemetery, there are also various ornaments used to decorate chariots and horses, all of which show that the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty paid attention to the beauty of life. It can be said that without careful observation of life and delicate aesthetic psychology, it is impossible to create such exquisite utensils.
These exquisite ornaments built an aesthetic space for the life of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty, becoming an important aspect of their lives, highlighting the meaning of life. Therefore, etiquette and aesthetics became two inseparable aspects in the life of the Western Zhou aristocracy.
epilogue
To sum up, we believe that the cultural relics unearthed from the cemetery of the powerful country show us the living conditions and aesthetic pursuits of the Western Zhou nobles from one side.
They reveal a wealth of cultural information: the Western Zhou aristocracy had a delicate aesthetic psychology, and they were full of love for life. They paid attention to the beauty of life, and there were a large number of decorative objects in both bronze and jade.
This shows that in the life of the Western Zhou aristocracy, the pursuit of aesthetics and the respect for etiquette were inseparably interrelated. Through the analysis of cultural relics, we can also deeply feel that the life of the nobles of the Western Zhou Dynasty is richer and more diverse than that recorded in the literature.
bibliography
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3. Li Zehou. Beijing:China Social Sciences Press,1984.