User:Cchunseim/sandbox

Function & Use
The guang bronze ritual vessels of Early China were primarily used to house and serve wine during ancestor worship rituals in which the wine vapors were to be consumed by the deceased spirits and the actual physical contents to be enjoyed by the living. This use, for storage and serving, is suggested through the form of the vessel. It is typically supported by one oval-shaped foot (supported more rarely by four legs), while the bronze itself takes the form of several animals and fantastical creatures metamorphosed. Each guang also has a neck and head, which serve as the pouring channel for the wine. A lid accompanies the vessel to complete the form. According to Robert Bagley, this lid is the chief idiosyncrasy, or characteristic, of the guang, for it is where the largest relief and decoration often takes place. While this decor is significant in the meaning behind these works, the animal and fantastic creature ornamentation does not have an exact intended purpose for the bronzes, and is still left to interpretation.

Guang bronze vessels were used not only in life to honor the deceased, but also at times placed with the deceased in their grave. Because of this, the ritual vessels are not only apotropaic but useful to the living as well. They are both everyday functioning items, but also objects which serve religious and spiritual purposes.

Decor
Zoomorphic lid, vessel-type base

Early Chinese bronze vessels were cast using the piece-mold process. Casting process-> decoration on mold (as opposed to the process of Lost-wax casting )

Abstract Forms
Leiwen, quills, scrolls

Animals Forms
Tigers, owls, birds, taotie (?), kue dragons, bottle-horn dragon

Inscriptions
From late Shang to early Zhou dynasty, the characters were increased on these bronze vessels. These inscriptions record very important event (such as sacrifice and betel), gift by a king to his officials, praise accorded to ancestors, record for exchange/sale land, and political marriages make stronger relationships.

Example - Zhe Guang (折觥)

Historical and cultural references
After the Ritual Revolution, some of the wine vessels were no longer in use in Wester Zhou dynasty. The Guang vessel only popular in Late Shang to Early Western Zhou dynasty.

Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE)
See Also: Shang Dynasty

The guang, one of many types of Chinese ritual bronze vessels, is both late to come into the world of bronze vessels, and lasts a very short amount of time. The earliest account of guang vessels comes from late in the Shang dynasty, during the Anyang Period, spanning from c. 1300-1046 BCE. These vessels were distinct from other guang objects in early Chinese history because of their decoration. In the Shang Dynasty, the guang featured ornamentation which had not been fully developed. In a late twelfth century to early eleventh century guang, the decoration is lacking on the bottom register, but more innovative in design in the lid and upper registers. In the Qi Guang vessel from approximately the same time period, the decoration has been compartmentalized and unified in style, which utilizes conventional motifs of bird, dragon, and other animal imagery.

Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 1045-771 BCE)
See Also: Western Zhou

The Western Zhou Dynasty is the final period in which guang vessels are known to have been made, due widely to the Ritual Revolution which occurred in the late Western Zhou dynasty, ultimately reducing the number of wine vessels being made. Before this disappearance, the guang saw changes in form, such as the ovular foot being sometimes replaced with four legs. The decoration also becomes more refined, yet still using animal and fantastic imagery.