Bronze Running Sheep

Bronze running sheep, bronze artifact, Han Dynasty, 14 cm long, 7 cm high. Unearthed in Koudian, Yanshi, Luoyang, Henan in 1974, now in the collection of Henan Museum.

In March 1974, villagers from Lijia Village, Koudian, Yanshi, Henan accidentally discovered an ancient cellar while digging a tree pit. After receiving a report from the villagers, the Yanshi County Cultural Relics Management Committee immediately sent people to the scene to deal with it. The cellar pit was about half a meter long, wide and deep. Archaeologists found a gilded bronze urn with a lid in the cellar pit. After opening the lid, the belly of the urn was densely filled with 48 small gilded bronze artifacts, bronze artifacts and bronze models [1]. This bronze running sheep (Figure 1) was unearthed here.

Figure 1 The other side of the bronze running sheep

After the bronze running sheep was unearthed, it was collected in the Yanshi County Cultural Center and later transferred to the then Henan Provincial Museum (now Henan Museum) for collection. As for the whole object, the bronze sheep is in the shape of a galloping horse, with its head held high and neck erect, its eyes looking forward, and its horns curved downward and forward in an arc shape (Figure 2). The head has clear lines, its eyebrows and eyes are visible, and its mouth is a round hole (Figure 3). Its body is plump, and its four legs are powerfully kicking. Its right front leg is in the air, its right hind leg and left front leg are in an arc shape, and its left hind leg is on the ground with its toes kicking back. Its short tail is erected and swept backward (Figure 4). The shape is vivid and full of joy, giving people a feeling of leaping and ready to fly, fully demonstrating the realistic techniques of the Han Dynasty.

Figure 2 Curled horns of the bronze running sheep Figure 3 Details of the bronze running sheep's head

Observing the surface of the bronze running sheep, most of its body is dark brown, with obvious brown spots in some places, and a small amount of copper rust on both sides. The whole object is 14 cm long, 7 cm high, and weighs 300 grams [2]. According to the excavation report, the bronze running sheep is a relic from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its surface was originally gilded and should have been golden yellow, but it has now fallen off as a whole. However, as an animal model of the Han Dynasty, its shape is lifelike and the engraving is fine. It is still a masterpiece among the models of the Han Dynasty, providing relatively rich physical materials for studying the auspicious culture and smelting and casting technology of the Han Dynasty.

Figure 4 The four limbs of the bronze sheep running