The four stages of ancient Chinese bronzes are from the initiation stage to the decline stage.

The four stages of ancient Chinese bronzes: the budding stage and the declining stage. The stages of bronze ware are relatively complicated, and scholars of the past dynasties have various opinions. For example, Lu Dali of the Song Dynasty actually classified bronze vessels in stages in his "Archaeological Map", but it was just not very clear. Rong Geng, Luo Zhenyu, Wang Guowei, Guo Moruo and other modern masters also divided bronzes into stages. Although the approximate time periods of their stages were slightly different, they were essentially the same. For example, Guo Moruo roughly divided ancient Chinese bronzes into five periods based on the shape, inscriptions and decorations of the bronzes. The earliest is the early Yin and Shang Dynasties, which is called the origin period. The middle period is called the open period, the middle spring and Autumn period to the end of the Warring States period is called the new style period, and the whole period after the end of the Warring States period is called the decline period. The Shanghai Museum's classification of ancient Chinese bronzes is divided into four phases. Of course, there are also many scholars and institutions who have conferences on bronzes.
The author believes that ancient Chinese bronzes should be divided into four periods. The first is the initiation period, from the late Neolithic Age to the Xia Dynasty, basically with the end of the Xia Dynasty as the dividing line. The second is the development period, from the Xia to the early Shang Dynasty, and at most to the mid-Shang Dynasty. The heyday was from the late Shang Dynasty to the late Western Zhou Dynasty, and the decline period was after the late Western Zhou Dynasty. The author's classification of bronzes is actually similar to that of predecessors, but the big difference is that the ancient Chinese bronzes after the late Western Zhou Dynasty are classified into a period of decline. The reason is that since the founding of the People's Republic of China, we have rescued many tombs and unearthed a lot of bronzes, especially the discovery of the Guo Kingdom Cemetery in Shangcunling, Sanmenxia, Henan, which was named the top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2016. This makes the boundary between the peak and decline of bronze ware in the late Western Zhou Dynasty more clear. Let’s take a look at these four stages
① Inception period
Copper is one of the earliest metals used by humans. Our country has entered the era of copper and stone as early as the early and middle Neolithic Age. During the Yangshao Culture period, There are red copper utensils. Soon humans also invented bronze, which is an alloy of copper, tin and lead, with a melting point between ~. Our country has entered the Bronze Age in the Xia Dynasty at the latest. Let’s look at an example, Yangjiazui. The surface is green, the mouth is incomplete, and there is a long stream. The junction of the stream and mouth is divided into two triangular columns with an oval belly and a round base. The three convex legs are round and solid conical legs. It can be seen that my country's bronzes have indeed been produced and used in the Xia Dynasty. The main shapes of Xia Dynasty bronzes are Jue, Qi, cones, adzes, adzes, knives, fish hooks, bells and other utensils. There are few inscriptions on these utensils. The pottery mold is the dominant one when casting, and the stone mold is the auxiliary function to produce tools, weapons, wine vessels, etc. Lord. But obviously these bronze utensils were not really practical under normal circumstances in the Xia Dynasty. For example, bronze adzes are not really used for farming. They are mostly placed somewhere as a symbol of identity and status, so they have a strong sense of ritual. We call this stage the budding stage.
② Development period
The development period of ancient Chinese bronzes ranged from the Xia to the early and mid-Shang dynasties. During this period, ancient Chinese bronzes changed from the situation in the Xia Dynasty where there were few numbers, few inscriptions, and few decorations. They were mainly used to produce tools, weapons, and wine vessels as symbolic ritual vessels. They gradually moved towards more shapes, richer decorations, and stronger ritual meanings. develop. During this period, the total amount of bronze wares was very large, and they became tools for slave owners and nobles to cook meat and banquets for guests to drink and have fun. More importantly, they became a symbol of state power, symbolizing rank and status. The shapes of bronze wares in this period were already relatively complex, and quite a few shapes of wares emerged during this period. Many bronze wares went to the altar of modeling ceremonies and gradually separated from ordinary bronze wares. During this period, a group of bronze ware with more complete functions was produced. In terms of function, they include wine vessels, food utensils, weapons, musical instruments, and important state implements. Some utensils will merge with each other in terms of function, eventually forming the shape of early and mid-Shang Dynasty bronzes with wine vessels as the main feature, such as jue goblets, etc., gradually increased in number. This stage is called the development stage.
③Heyday
From the late Shang Dynasty to the late Western Zhou Dynasty, ancient Chinese bronzes reached their peak, both in terms of quantity, shape, decoration and function. The bronzes had richer shapes and more decorative patterns. The craftsmanship became more sophisticated, and many famous bronzes appeared. For example, the stepmother Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty, the Heavenly King Guili Gui of the era of King Wu of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Nine Tripods, Eight Gui and Eight Tripods unearthed from the tomb of Guo State in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, and the exquisite bronze cauldron, etc. These bronzes all have many inscriptions, and their shapes, patterns and other aspects have reached a high level of craftsmanship that few have reached so far. However, in the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was said that the Shang Dynasty subjugated the country due to wine, so wine vessels were abolished and food vessels were mainly used. Symbols include the combination of tripod and gui, the emperor has nine tripods, eight tripods and eight tripods, the princes have seven tripods, six tripods and six tripods, and so on to the officials or Yuanshi. Bronze ware has realized the sublimation of its function under such a ritual category and put on the cloak of ritual. This is the most developed and prosperous period of bronze ware in our country, which is called the heyday.
④ Decline period
The decline period of ancient Chinese bronzes was after the late Western Zhou Dynasty. Judging from the bronzes unearthed from the higher-standard tombs in the Guoguo Tomb, a large tomb of state nobles in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the late Western Zhou Dynasty was indeed a watershed. After King Ping of Zhou moved eastward, the Western Zhou Dynasty was declared destroyed. The rule of the Zhou Dynasty was only in name. The etiquette of the bronze ware was no longer observed by anyone. The nobles could overstep the etiquette system and achieve a breakthrough in etiquette first. This is clear from the condition of the tombs. For example, some of the tombs of princes in the early Spring and Autumn Period in the Guo Kingdom Tombs used seven tripods, six guis and six keels. This kind of transgression was obviously blatant, indicating that the etiquette system at that time was indeed in decline. With the collapse of rites and music, the level of bronze ware in all aspects such as production craftsmanship, modeling, and decoration has declined. The reason is that bronzes in the ritual era symbolized power and status, and most of the people who made these bronzes were slaves. Their status was low. This is why the production process of bronzes has never been recorded in history books. If the casting fails, they are likely to die. , this objectively leads to the fact that the entire bronze production process before the late Western Zhou Dynasty in the factory was relatively high, and there was basically no perfunctory situation. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, China had entered a feudal society, and people had changed from slave owners to farmers. Although farmers rented land from landlords, they could no longer be killed at will. Under this background, the craftsmanship of bronze ware declined. However, its power of inertia and continuation still existed in the early Spring and Autumn Period, and then basically disappeared. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, this feature basically integrated the functions of practical furnishings and decoration.
This was the period of decline of ancient Chinese bronzes. To this day, bronzes are still in this stage. However, it still occupies a place in people's daily life. For example, today, bronzes are given to each other as exquisite gifts and placed as decorations at home. It can be seen that bronze ware continues to move forward after its decline and shows no signs of dying out. Perhaps bronze ware will return to glory one day in the future. This is why we designate the fourth period as a decline period rather than a demise period.
The article is selected from the public account of Changchang Silver Art Appraisal Database, which aims to provide everyone with high-quality art collection and appraisal knowledge and is updated every day.