Why were the deer with delicious meat not extinct by the ancients?

Deer is an important theme in the history of jade carving in China. Perhaps many people who love ancient jade will think of animal images such as unicorn, brave, phoenix and dragon that do not exist in real life when they hear words like beasts. Today we will talk about this beast, which is different from other beasts. It is a real animal in real life and we can still see it now. It's-

sika deer

Jade deer in the late Shang Dynasty

Cultural relics about deer first appeared in the Neolithic Age. When deer first sublimated into art, it appeared on the narrative rock paintings of primitive ancestors. Primitive ancestors drew the captured deer clearly and powerfully on the rocks for counting. Because deer is one of the main food sources of primitive ancestors, and it is docile compared with other mammals, so primitive ancestors have a good impression on deer.

Deer in rock paintings

This cultural relic appeared because the ancestors gradually liked deer. This is a painted pottery basin unearthed from Banpo site of Yangshao culture. This painted pottery basin is painted with four running deer. This painted pottery basin is also called "Little Deer Painted Pot". The appearance of the pattern of running deer on the painted pottery basin with deer pattern just proves that the definition of deer by ancestors has gone beyond the scope of food, and the ancestors began to have emotional and spiritual sustenance for deer, so the image of deer began to become an artistic expression. The appearance of this painted pottery basin unearthed from Banpo site of Yangshao culture indirectly proves the trend of deer transforming from ordinary animals to auspicious animals.

Deer pattern painted pottery basin

In addition to the above two most primitive forms of expression, carving deer shapes with jade materials is many years later than the mysterious images of birds, elephants, owls and dragons. Jade carving deer first appeared in Shang Dynasty. Jade deer in Shang Dynasty mainly include deer head jade ornaments and deer-shaped Yu Pei. Today, we will talk about the jade carving deer from Shang Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, mainly about the changes in the modeling and production technology of jade carving deer in various periods.

Jade carving deer in Shang dynasty

First of all, if we want to talk about jade carving deer, we should know the status of jade carving deer in China traditional culture. In the eyes of the ancients, deer is an auspicious beast, and it is also a realistic auspicious beast. Pilose antler and deer blood are both important drugs or supplements in traditional Chinese medicine, and venison is very delicious. Therefore, based on these factors, deer occupies a very important position in traditional culture. For example, deer must be indispensable for the door painting with the theme of Fu Lushou every year. Secondly, the mount of the birthday girl is also a deer, so the deer has become the representative of auspicious omen in China traditional culture.

Jade carving deer in Western Zhou Dynasty

It is recorded in Song Shu Fu Rui Zhi: "White Deer Plain, Wang will benefit from it." This sentence raised the appearance of Bailuyuan to the height of testing the wisdom of the king. In addition, Dunhuang murals also have the image of deer (the mural story of Dunhuang nine-color deer); Therefore, the ancients thought that deer was a virtuous beast, and because of the homonym of "deer" and "deer", deer had the meaning of promotion and wealth, wealth and splendor.

Jade carving deer

After understanding the meaning of deer in the traditional culture of China, it is not difficult for us to understand why there are a large number of cultural relics engraved, painted or embroidered with deer patterns in ancient jade articles, paintings and even official uniforms. These deer shapes that appear on jade articles or paintings (the shapes on official uniforms are uniform and serious, and belong to a single example of deer patterns) are varied, lively and colorful, lying or standing, running in the green fields of Shan Ye, or strolling under trees in the forest. They are beautiful, gentle and natural, lifelike, elegant and lovely.

Jade deer in the late Western Zhou Dynasty

From the above, it can be seen that the deer pattern in jade first appeared in Shang Dynasty, and it will be adjusted with the development of carving technology and the change of cultural concept in later generations. Although it has its own characteristics of the times, on the whole, its style is in the same strain as that of the Jade Deer in Shang Dynasty. In a word, the emergence and development of jade carving deer is the embodiment of China people's worship and love for deer culture and deer ornamentation. At the same time, the jade carving deer is deeply loved by people, which also reflects people's pursuit and yearning for a better life.

Jade carving deer

Anyway, let's start with the modeling of jade deer in Shang Dynasty. First of all, the modeling structure of jade deer in Shang Dynasty is relatively simple, mostly flaky jade carving deer, and less round carving. The size is relatively small (this is closely related to the backwardness of jade-making tools in Shang Dynasty, the scarcity of jade resources and the fact that jade-making technology is often used to make ritual vessels). Jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty usually have short legs and stand upright backwards. Deliberately highlight antlers, ears and eyes. As for the other parts of the deer, they all pass by with short expressions, only with their shapes.

Jade carving deer in Shang dynasty

As far as antlers are concerned, there are three kinds of antlers of jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty. The first kind belongs to young deer without horns; The second is the antlers of Shu Lang young deer, which are branched. The third type is dense antlers, and the horns are divided into two, symmetrical or asymmetrical. (The antlers with dense bisection belong to adult male deer. As for why some antlers are symmetrical and some are asymmetrical, it has a lot to do with adult deer's struggle for spouse rights, which is enough to reflect the careful observation of natural animal habits in Shang Dynasty, and also shows that hunting in Shang Dynasty is still on the edge.

Jade carving deer

The eyes of jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty can be divided into small round eyes, official words, diamond eyes and olive eyes. (These eyes are commonly used in eye carving of all animals in Shang Dynasty, including the eyes of jade dancers), and most of these deer eyes are carved with negative lines. The intaglio line begins to be thin and shallow, and the middle is deep and wide. Most of the jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty have no decorative patterns. If there are any, they are engraved with several cuts, which are used as the dividing line of body muscle tissue to separate the body and limbs. Moreover, most of the jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty belong to accessories, and there will be holes in their bodies. In Shang dynasty, jade carving deer was worn between the necks by wearing a rope. Generally speaking, the holes of jade carving deer in Shang Dynasty are mostly in the neck and buttocks.

Characters and deer jade pendant

After the development and evolution of Shang Dynasty, the Jade Deer of Zhou Dynasty was improved on the basis of the Jade Deer of Shang Dynasty. As far as modeling is concerned, the jade deer in the Zhou Dynasty are mostly flaky and have no lines on their bodies. Compared with the Shang dynasty, there are several simple outlines on it, and the shape of the body is generally slightly larger than that of the Shang dynasty. Perhaps due to the development of jade-making technology, the shapes of the jade deer in the Zhou Dynasty are more abundant, including looking back, looking forward, perching, crouching, running and standing.

Jade deer in pre-Qin period

In the form of expression, it is more abundant. The jade deer in the Zhou Dynasty was noble in spirit, graceful in posture, fresh and powerful in knife cutting, and its surface was polished more delicately. Deer are generally made into big ears and eyes, and the branches with horns are basically fixed and erect like small trees. Of course, there are two kinds of antlers, symmetrical and asymmetrical, among which there are relatively many asymmetrical long horns. Thick feet and big hooves, fat body. However, compared with long horns, its body often feels top-heavy. Wearing it is also an ornament, and it has perforations. Wearing a rope around the neck, the perforation is the same as that in Shang Dynasty, mostly in the neck or buttocks.

The first late Shang Dynasty in Yuru

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the image of Yulu followed the characteristics of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Compared with the Jade Deer in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the antlers at this time are mainly single-horned, and the shape is multi-forked. The eyes are round and slightly convex, and the fine hairs on the neck, abdomen and calves of the jade deer are represented by tiny short negative lines, and irregular round lines appear on the lying deer. The posture of jade deer is relatively simple, mainly standing and kneeling, and the running jade carving deer is innovative.

Yulu Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period

The most striking feature of Yulu in Han Dynasty is the image of sika deer, which may be influenced by Zhao's slender waist and legs in Han Dynasty. During this period, the jade deer was slender, with long legs and jumping posture. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, on the basis of inheriting the posture of thin deer, thin legs and leaping in the Han Dynasty, Yulu added rolling grass lines and moire patterns to her body, and carved five or six short lines on her cheeks to enhance the facial beauty of her head.

Jade deer in Han dynasty

During the Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Jade Deer was given a new theme. During this period, due to the great development of jade-making technology, it is more common to find a jade deer lying on its back. This kind of jade deer can be used as both decoration and paperweight, which is both practical and beautiful, and has become the new favorite of Wang Sungui and literati in the upper class. There is also the appearance and vigorous development of "autumn water jade" in Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, which enriched jade and added cultural themes of northern minorities. Jade articles showing jurchen hunting tigers and deer in autumn began to appear in large numbers. Patterns include rocks, oak trees, some tigers and deer coexist, some two deer are companions, some oak trees hide tigers, and the most common is a picture of deer in the mountains. In terms of carving techniques, jade skin is often the color left for autumn. In the Yuan Dynasty, "Qiushan Jade" gradually evolved into a pattern of Fulu, and its influence spread to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Jade Reindeer in Liao and Jin Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, auspicious patterns of jade were widely circulated, and many auspicious patterns contained homophonic metaphors to express good wishes. Deer and "deer" are homophonic, meaning high official and generous, sparrow deer means "Jue deer" and bat deer means "Fu Lu". Jade deer in the Ming Dynasty were mostly round carvings. The body of Jade Deer in the Qing Dynasty was fuller and rounder than that in the Ming Dynasty, and its image was more patterned, with obvious positive lines, especially the eyes were engraved with positive lines, which were worn obliquely to highlight the eyes. Exquisite jade deer are mostly made of white jade, with fine carving patterns, prominent musculoskeletal structure, superb polishing technology and no nicks.

Carving jade deer in Ming dynasty

Yuru Qing dynasty

In a word, the author thinks that deer, a docile animal with both medicinal and edible value, can survive in China, which loves to eat, and become a Swiss beast, thanks to culture!