Bronze tripod with coiled snake pattern and curved ears

Copper tripod with curved ears and coiled snake patterns, also known as Zhou Kui pattern tripod, Zhou Lao Ding, Lao Ding, and Huchi Kui pattern tripod, Spring and Autumn Period, bronze ware, height 61.9 cm, diameter 65.9 cm, belly circumference 206 cm, ear-to-ear distance 86.5 cm, ear height 16.5 cm, ear width 12.8 cm, foot height 20 cm, belly depth 38.5 cm. Round, open mouth, slightly constricted neck, deep belly, round bottom, attached ears, hoof feet. The shape of this type of tripod is characterized by constricted neck and curved ears. Mr. Guan Baoqian named it Lao Ding because it has an ox-head button and a large shape. It was unearthed from the tomb of Duke Zheng in Lijialou, Xinzheng, Henan in 1923. (This cultural relic is on display in the Eastern Zhou exhibition hall on the first floor of the main exhibition hall of the Henan Museum)

In the autumn of 1923, Li Rui of Lijialou outside the south gate of Xinzheng County, Henan Province, discovered a large tomb while digging a well in his vegetable garden. A batch of bronze artifacts were unearthed, and this artifact was one of them. After the cultural relics were unearthed, they were confiscated by the local garrison commander Jin Yun'e and transported to Kaifeng, the then capital of Henan Province, and handed over to the Henan Antiquities Preservation Institute for safekeeping. In 1930, they were transferred to the Henan Museum for collection. In 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out. For safety reasons, the cultural relics in the collection of the Henan Museum, such as the copper tripod with curved ears and coiled snake patterns, were first transported to the French Concession in Wuhan, and then transported to the former National Central University in Chongqing for preservation. In 1950, this batch of cultural relics returned from Chongqing to Henan and were still collected by the Henan Museum.

The cultural relics unearthed from the Lijialou Tomb are numerous, high-specification, and exquisitely shaped. The copper tripod with curved ears and coiled snake patterns is one of the finest among these cultural relics. First of all, the decoration is gorgeous. The upper part of the neck is decorated with a fine coiled snake pattern belt for one week, the middle part is decorated with a curved pattern belt for one week, and the lower part is decorated with a triangle pattern belt for one week. The upper abdomen is decorated with two rope string patterns, and three groups of patterns are decorated at equal distances in between. The two sides are fine coiled snake pattern belts, and the middle is a coarse Kuilong pattern belt. The lower abdomen is decorated with a narrow Kuilong pattern belt for one week, and below it is a leaf-shaped pattern belt for one week at equal distances. There is an ox head attached to the front and back of the middle of the abdomen opposite to the two ears. The upper ends of the three hoof feet are decorated with animal head patterns. The vessel is almost fully decorated with patterns, but it is complicated but not chaotic, and it is staggered. There are both fine coiled snake patterns and coarse Kuilong patterns; there are both flat carvings on the abdomen and neck, and embossed carvings on the hoof feet.

Figure 1 Body decoration and ox head

Secondly, the casting process is exquisite, using the split casting method and welding method, showing the superb bronze casting technology in the Spring and Autumn Period. The split casting method refers to a casting process in which the main body of a bronze ware and its accessories are cast separately or a bronze ware is cast twice or more; the welding method is to weld the parts of the bronze ware that have been cast separately together with tin-lead alloy. The casting of the copper tripod with coiled snake pattern and curved ears is to cast the tripod body and ears, feet, cattle jewelry separately, and then weld these components into a vessel.

Figure 2: The joint of the abdomen and feet

In short, the shape of the vessel inherits the old system of the two Zhou dynasties. It has a huge and majestic shape, delicate and fine patterns, and clear layers, showing the exquisite casting technology of the Spring and Autumn Period. Therefore, it is of great value for studying my country's bronze culture, the smelting industry of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the history and culture of Zheng State.

For this copper tripod with coiled snake pattern and curved ears, there is another important value, that is, this artifact does not appear alone, but is one of a set of tripods. The appearance of this set of tripods is particularly important for studying the identity and status of the tomb owner and the ritual system at that time.

There are three types of tripods unearthed from the tomb of Duke Zheng, namely, tripods with curved ears and necks (the copper tripod with curved ears and coiled snake pattern is one of them), tripods with rims, and tripods with lids. The number of tripods with curved ears and necks is the largest. As the tomb of Duke Zheng was first excavated by a private individual and then displaced by war, the possibility of loss cannot be ruled out. Therefore, the records of the number of tripods in the four monographs on the artifacts unearthed from the tomb of Duke Zheng at that time are not exactly the same: "Xinzheng Ancient Artifacts Illustrated Records" records 7 tripods with curved ears and necks (one of which is broken), "Xinzheng Ancient Artifacts Illustrated Records" records 6 tripods with curved ears and necks, "Zhengzhong Ancient Artifacts Illustrated Records" records 9 tripods with curved ears and necks, and "Xinzheng Yi Artifacts" records 6 tripods with curved ears and necks.

The custom of burying multiple tripods in the same tomb appeared in the Shang Dynasty, but it should have appeared in the form of rows of tripods in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At this time, no matter how many types of tripods there are in the tomb, at least one type of row of tripods can show the identity and status of its owner, and the number must be 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. In addition, the number of other types of tripods is not constant. Mr. Xia Zhifeng believes that: according to the records of predecessors and the analysis of existing artifacts, although the three types of tripods in the tomb of Duke Zheng seem to be arranged in a row on the surface, only the tripod with a neck and curved ears can show the identity of the tomb owner; the number of tripods of this type is recorded as 9 in "Zheng Tomb Ancient Artifacts Illustrated Records", which should be consistent with the facts.

If this is true, then the 9 tripods with necks and curved ears in the tomb of Duke Zheng can obviously show the prominent status of the tomb owner from the perspective of the feudal system and patriarchal system implemented in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At the same time, it is an important historical material for studying the tripod system and ritual system of the princes in the Spring and Autumn Period.