What was the gold and silverware of the Han Dynasty like?

The Han Dynasty was a great unified feudal empire full of vigor and vitality, and the national strength was very strong. In the Han Dynasty tombs unearthed in the gold and silver, whether it is the number, or variety, or the production process, are far more than the pre-Qin era. Han dynasty gold and silver craft on the basis of the previous generation, and was further developed. In order to meet the needs of the made objects are extremely delicate and luxurious. For example, the single gilt silver box found in the tomb of Liu Sheng, King of the Western Han Dynasty in Mancheng, Hebei Province, and the silver bowls and spoons found in the Eastern Han Dynasty tombs in Changsha, Hunan Province and Wuyi Street. In addition to eating utensils, there are more various gold and silver decorations. Such as Ganjiang Ganquanshan Han Tomb in Jiangsu Province found a large number of gold jewelry, including a pair of gold wins by two opposite triangular and round composition, round raised as a sphere, with turquoise filigree inlay circle, outside the small gold ball composed of a circle of pearl pattern, the production is very exquisite.

Some of the gold and silver in the Han Dynasty, in addition to inlaid turquoise and other materials, but also decorated with figures, animals and so on, such as Ding County, Hebei Province, found in the Han Tomb of the gold and silver wrong hunting motifs of the copper car decoration, was a bamboo tube, the surface of the raised wheel joints.

Divided into four segments, the car decoration is decorated with hunting-themed floral patterns in gold and silver error, and embedded with round and diamond-shaped turquoise, which are decorated with figures and animal images such as elephants, blue dragons, deer, bears, horses, rabbits, wolves, monkeys, sheep, cows, pigs, foxes, roe deer, eagles, cranes, peacocks, etc., and interspersed with rhombuses, waves, and serrated patterns.

The whole car decoration is full of composition, grand and magnificent style, reflecting the author's rich imagination and excellent skills.

Animals made of gold, such as the Western Han gold animal found in Xuyi County, Jiangsu Province, are 10.2 centimeters in height, 16 centimeters in length and 17.8 centimeters in width, weighing 9,000 grams. Hollow belly, thick wall, casting and molding.

Golden beast under the cover of a beautiful and peculiar copper pot, pot filled with gold, including 9 half gold cake weighing 2,864 grams, 15 horseshoe gold, linden toe gold weighing 4,845 grams, 11 pieces of gold version of the "Yingzuan" weighing 3,260 grams. The total weight of gold is more than 20 kilograms.

Golden beast was curled up, head resting on the front legs, bent waist group body, head against the front knee, ears on both sides of the head, head, tail long, body short and stout, like a tiger more like a leopard. The head is large, the tail is long, the body is short and stout, resembling a tiger more like a leopard. The ears are attached and the eyes are glaring, the mouth is open and the teeth are exposed, the demeanor is alert, and the neck wears a three-wheeled collar, with a ring knob on top of the head.

Throughout the body pattern is cast in the body of the beast and then pounded on, the size of the same, irregularly rounded, very fine. The base is hollow and concave, and the inner wall is engraved with two characters in small seal script, "Huang Liu", which is a Qin-Han script. "Yellow" refers to the texture of gold, and "six" is the ordinal number.

Wrong gold and silver technology in the Spring and Autumn period began to rise, to the Han Dynasty, this technology has become the mainstream of China's traditional gold and silver technology, and reached a fairly high level.

For example, in the burial objects of Liu Sheng, King of Zhongshan, some gold and silver objects were found, and the complex and varied patterns on a "Vermilion Sparrow Cup" were all wrongly made with gold threads.

The Vermilion Bird Cup is 11.2 centimeters high and 9.5 centimeters wide. With a ring of sparrow feet stepping on a four-legged beast with two ears as the main modeling. Inside and outside the cup decorated with gold persimmon pattern, the seat is decorated with gold scrolling cloud pattern.

The Vermilion Bird stands on the back of the beast between the two cups, and the whole body is decorated with gold. Vermilion sparrow wings and tails, wing feathers upward curled, was spreading wings to fly, gently and gracefully in the air to take advantage of the situation, elegant, the beak of a free rotation of the white jade ring.

Can not help but be reminiscent of the ancient "say Gua biography" in the "Qian, for the sky for the ring" that: just like the ring of the beginning and end, the operation of the heavenly way is also cyclical to endless ...... this jade ring is more Vermilion Bird with a ring cup to add a mysterious color. The jade ring adds to the mysterious color of the cup.

The four-legged, two-eared beast of the Vermilion Bird is prostrate, with its four feet on the base of the two tall cups. Here, the sudden intervention of the beast not only regulates the span between the legs of the Vermilion Bird, but also imaginatively renders the proud demeanor of the divine bird above all things.

The Vermilion Bird Ring Cup is gilt throughout, and it is also embellished with 30 emerald-green turquoise stones, which are divided into two types: round and heart-shaped, of which 4 are embedded in the neck and abdomen, and 13 ****26 are embedded in each of the cups outside of the cup, respectively.

Besides, the most dazzling treasure in the tomb is a long letter palace lamp. The palace maiden as the body of the lamp appears to be shining with gold, but it is not a pure gold product, but made with the technique of gilding.

At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Zhuo was honored with the title of Marquis of Yang Xin Yi after he was instrumental in destroying the power of Empress Lu, and was thus made a Marquis of Yang Xin Yi. During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zha's only son was deprived of his title because of his involvement in the "Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms", and his property was confiscated and brought to the Changxin Palace, including an intricately crafted bronze lamp.

Changxin Palace was the palace where the Empress Dowager Dou lived during the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, and the lamp was sent to the Changxin Palace Bath House for use, so the inscription "Changxin Palace" was added to show that the lamp had changed ownership.

Later, the "Changxin Palace lamp" was given to her beloved grandson Liu Sheng by Dou. Liu Sheng's wife, Dou ò, regarded the lamp as a treasure, and after her death, the lamp was buried with her in the tomb of King Liu Sheng, the husband and wife of King Jing of Zhongshan, in Mancheng County, Hebei Province.

This lamp is in the form of a kneeling young maid with a bun over a woman's head and tricked feet in deep clothes, holding a copper lamp. The lamp is 48 centimeters high and weighs 15.85 kilograms. By the head, right arm, body, lampshade, lamp plate, lamp base 6 parts of the casting composition, head and right arm can be assembled and disassembled, easy to clean the lamps.

Palm lantern part of the lamp disk is divided into two parts, engraved with "Yang Xin Jia" inscription, can be rotated to adjust the direction of the light, embedded in the lamp disk grooves on the curved tile-shaped copper plate can be adjusted to adjust the size of the light outlet opening to control the brightness of the light. The right hand with its drooping sleeve covers the top of the copper lamp.

The bronze statue of the courtesan is hollowed out, with the hollowed right arm and the two curved panels of the sleeve coming together to form the lampshade of the bronze lamp, which can be opened and closed freely. Burning gas dust can be deposited through the right arm of the courtesan in the courtesan body, not a large number of scattered to the surrounding environment. A small amount of waxy residue remains on the upper part of the lampshade, presumably the burning substance inside the lamp is animal fat or candles.

The lamp plate has a side axe handle, inside the remaining rotten wood, the seat seems to be bean-shaped. The surface of the lamp does not have too many ornaments and complex patterns, in the contemporaneous palace utensils appear more simple.

The bottom of the lamp base engraved inscription 9, ***65 words, including the weight of the lamp, capacity, casting time and owner. Such as: "Changxin Shang bath, capacity of one liter less than half a liter, weighing six pounds, one hundred and eighty-nine, now inside the person lying".

Palace lamps gilt body, the light burns. The courtesan wearing a long coat, wide sleeves, her face dignified and clear, staring forward, very focused gaze, head tilted slightly forward, look respectful, careful, showing a lower level of young courtesans peculiar to the demeanor. The courtesan holds the lamp in both hands, the left hand holds the lamp plate, and the right arm is raised, as if lifting the lamp to illuminate each other's demeanor.

Changxin Palace Lantern to take separate casting, and then synthesized into a whole method, the lamp design of the exquisite, high level of craftsmanship, in the Han Dynasty Palace Lanterns second to none.

Changxin Palace lamp image beautiful, exquisite design, the practical function of the lamp, the principle of purifying the air and beautiful modeling organically combined together, the whole shape of natural beauty, stretch freely, light and gorgeous, a change in the previous bronze vessels of the mysterious heavy, is a practical and beautiful lamps and lanterns treasures, reflecting the creative talent of the ancient master craftsmen as well as the scientific and technological level at the time.

Liu Sheng tomb found at the same time a wrong gold bronze cloud pattern Boshan furnace height of 26 centimeters, the diameter of the abdomen is 15.5 centimeters, 9.7 centimeters in diameter of the foot. The body of the furnace is semi-circular, and the upper part of the plate and the cover of the furnace are cast with high and low undulating mountains.

Boshan stove began to appear in the Han Dynasty, mostly copper casting, many later generations have imitated. The beginning of the incense burner due to the custom of burning incense. The early Western Han Dynasty, before Emperor Wu, there have been a number of special incense burners for burning incense. Ancient people used to burn spices to expel mosquitoes and flies or remove the foul air in the living environment. Especially in the South Vietnam, the incense incense culture is more prevalent. But then most of the incense burners used in the shape of very simple.

The Han Dynasty fairy magic was popular, people aspire to immortality. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was addicted to incense, but also believe in Taoism. Taoist legend

Wu Di that sent a special simulation of the legend of the scene of the mountain to make a class of special shape incense burner, that is, the Boshan stove, Boshan stove cover for the conical mountain shape, as if the legend of the sea fairy mountain.

Liu Sheng tomb found in this wrong gold bronze cloud pattern Boshan furnace, furnace cover is cone-shaped Boshan, because the mountain openwork, sculpture vivid mountain scenery. Throughout the body with gold wire and gold plate wrong out of smooth, delicate, stretching cloud pattern, gold wire has thick and thin, as thin as human hair. The handle is carved in the form of three dragons coming out of the water, with the heads of the dragons resting on the stove plate, symbolizing the dragons as the divine beasts communicating with the three realms of heaven, earth and human beings.

The plate is decorated with a gold cloud pattern. Disk cast the upper part of the steep rolling hills, peaks towering out of the mountains and forests decorated with gold lines between the beasts, tigers and leopards running, light and nimble little monkey crouching in the high-level peaks or riding on the beasts play, hunters appeared in the mountains, some shouldering a crossbow, and some are chasing after wild boars fleeing, the atmosphere is tense, the picture is vivid. Two or three small trees dotted between them,

carved out a beautiful mountain scenery and vivid hunting scenes.