Brief introduction of baohua

The so-called Baoxiang is a Buddhist honorific title for the Buddha statue, and Baoxiang flower is an ideal flower shape that is holy, dignified and beautiful. This decorative pattern has been popular with the prevalence of Buddhism since Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. It concentrates the characteristics of lotus, peony and chrysanthemum, and is formed by artistic treatment. Mirror diameter 13cm, round, button type. In the center of the mirror, the pattern on the back of the mirror is divided into two areas, and the inner area is an eight-ring bent flower branch, which is wound into a spiral shape. The flowers on the branches are mostly five-petaled, the petals are peach-shaped, some buds are not put, and the buds are raised. Some buds are sprouting and stamens are slightly exposed. The outer area is also eight lotus branches, leaves and stems extending forward along the ring, and the outer edge is serrated.

The theme of decorative patterns in China is mainly decorative patterns of animals and geometric figures. Since Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, under the influence of Buddhist decorative arts, decorative patterns of plants and flowers have penetrated into almost all artistic fields, including ceramic decoration, architectural decoration and metal utensils decoration. Buddhism regards lotus as a symbol of holiness and auspiciousness. Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, lotus patterns have been widely used in the decorative arts of grottoes. The lotus patterns in the Northern Dynasties are mainly realistic, and most of them are expressed from the perspective of overlooking the front. The center is a disk-shaped lotus flower, and the petals of the lotus flower are evenly arranged in multiple layers. This pattern evolved into the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and its shape became fuller. From the flower shape, in addition to the lotus, there are also the characteristics of peony flowers, and the multi-level arrangement of petals makes the pattern have a graceful and gorgeous aesthetic feeling. This pattern is also called baohua. After Sui and Tang Dynasties, precious flowers were widely used in brocade, bronze mirror and porcelain decoration, which contained auspicious and happy meanings. This is a unique pattern with our national characteristics.