What are the iconic patterns in the Warring States Period?

The costume patterns in the Warring States period evolved from the decorative patterns in the slave society of Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The most popular dragon and phoenix at that time not only symbolizes the prosperity of the court, but also symbolizes a happy marriage. Both cranes and deer symbolize longevity. Due to the limitation of jacquard technology, silk weaving patterns in the Warring States period were mostly limited to diamond patterns, checkered patterns, complex diamond patterns and variant patterns filled with figures, chariots, horses and animals.

The decorative patterns in Shang and Zhou Dynasties emphasized exaggeration and deformation, and the structure was based on the geometric framework, with axial symmetry, and the patterns were closely attached within the geometric framework, especially exaggerating the head, horn, eyes, nose, mouth and claws of animals. The contour line, which is dominated by straight lines and supplemented by circular arcs, presents a whole unity, which is the style of the times formed under the specific historical conditions of slave society.

Rectangular and triangular geometric bones and symmetry techniques in Shang and Zhou Dynasties were still used in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but they were not limited by geometric bones, and were often regarded as the basis of unified layout rather than "functional bones". In other words, patterns can transcend the boundaries of geometric framework according to the creative intention and be handled flexibly.

Extended data

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, ceramics were mostly made of imitation copper, and Ding Hu was mostly used in the north and Ding Hu was mostly used in the south. Painted patterns are usually applied to the surface of containers, following the tradition of adding painted patterns after firing ceramics in Xiajiadian lower culture. In addition, during the Warring States period, a kind of black pottery appeared in the Central Plains and the North. Jade ritual jade tends to be institutionalized, and jade burial ingredients have begun to be used. Small jade's sculptures and decorations have also undergone new changes.

Yu Pei and Jade Mask are the main buried jade articles, some of which are exquisitely carved and have delicate lines. The decorative style and craft description of lacquerware craft in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period indicate that the North and the South belong to the same family. The northern part belongs to the early Spring and Autumn Period. The techniques of lacquer painting inlaid with gold shells, embossed gold foils and imitation of mussel bubbles are in the same strain as the lacquer art of Shang Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty, and the decorative patterns basically follow the bronze decoration of Western Zhou Dynasty.

The modeling and decoration of the south are all born out of bronze ware, but the treatment methods are often random deformation and combination. Patterns emphasize the sense of movement and rhythm, making them more lively, and generally do not use mosaic techniques. Red and black are mainly used in graphic painting, and the colors are simple and strong.

During the Warring States period, lacquerware, which was mainly practical, replaced bronze ritual vessels with ideological functions in many aspects, which meant the disintegration of the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty, which symbolized the power, identity and status of the rulers, and also showed the rise of a series of new social concepts and ethical consciousness. ?

CCTV- Types and Decoration of Bronze Mirrors in Warring States Period

Baidu Encyclopedia-Traditional Chinese Patterns