Asian Art: Bronze

Blended with copper, tin and lead, bronze was the earliest alloy. As far back as the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC), it was used casually and led the Chinese people into the Bronze Age. At the height of its popularity, it was made into sacrificial vessels, musical instruments, weapons and vessels for holding food and water. Among these, the sacrificial ones represented the highest level of refinement for that time. Most of them bore designs of beast faces, the dragon and phoenix. Within each type, endless variation is to be found in form and design, fully demonstrating the rich imagination and creativity of the Chinese of the time. The kuei, for example, was a container for cooked millet that came in many different styles, equivalent to today's containers for cooked rice. Some had a circular base to stabilize the vessel belly; others had a heavy square base added onto the circular base, in a graceful contrast of geometrical form. The ting was a tripod vessel used for cooking, with a pair of knobs protruding from the mouth to facilitate handling. The three legs held the vessel at just the proper distance from the fire for cooking meat. The ch¹eh was a vessel especially designed for heating and drinking wine; it had a pour spout and side handles. The three legs facilitated warming the wine. The tsun was a major type of wine container that was either round or square in shape, or had a round mouth and square base. Ancient Chinese bronzes stressed balance and symmetry of form, and communicated solemnity and ceremony. The beauty of traditional bronze art is still to be found in incense burners and sacrificial vessels in temples, in statues on display in schools, or in decorative pieces in homes. Free application of traditional bronze designs has become an indispensable element of modern architecture, apparel, and furniture design.

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