Copper pot with coiled dragon pattern

Copper dragon-patterned bronze he, late Western Zhou, 22.6 cm in height, 29.8 cm in length, 9 cm in mouth, 7.6 cm in short side, 17.2 cm in long belly, 14 cm in short neck, 8.4 cm in thickness. Excavated from Guo Ji's Tomb M2001 in Guo State Cemetery, Sanmenxia City, Henan Province in 1990. Now in the collection of Henan Museum.

The Copper Dragon-patterned bronze he[1] is a water vessel. It has a lid, the middle of which is raised upwards, with a coiled dragon-shaped handgrip on the top. The horns on its head are slightly broken, the coiled dragon looks forward with its head held high, and lies in a coil. Its body is decorated with scales, and its chest has two claws on the ground. It has complete ears, eyes, and a curled nose. There is a ring button on the edge of the lid, and the mouth is oval and rectangular, relatively straight, with a thick round lip and a short neck. The belly cavity is an oval flat drum-shaped cavity placed on its side. There is a four-legged dragon-shaped spout in front, which is curved and rising. There is a semi-circular handle with a dragon head sticking out its tongue in the back. There is a ring button on the top of the handle. There should be a chain connecting the handle button and the lid button. A pair of C-shaped double-headed dragon patterns are decorated in the middle of the front and back of the cavity. The outer periphery is decorated with four groups of oblique C-shaped eyeless stealing curved patterns that are symmetrical in the center. Two rows of beads and heavy ring patterns are decorated on the front and back sides. The dragon body and legs of the spout are decorated with hanging scale patterns. There are four human-shaped legs under the abdomen, and the human figures are all kneeling (Figures 1 and 2). The overall design of this bronze tripod is unique, the decoration is gorgeous, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. It shows the high level of bronze casting in Guo State. It is a rare artistic masterpiece.

Figure 1 Detail of the lid and foot of the bronze he with coiled dragon pattern

Figure 2 Line drawing of the bronze he with coiled dragon pattern

A total of 58 bronze ritual vessels were unearthed in M2001, including 3 he. In addition to the he with coiled dragon pattern, there is also a he with double ring pattern and an S-shaped he with curved pattern. The lid and the body of the vessel are cast as one piece. The patterns are simple and sloppy, and they are actually funerary objects. Three plates were also unearthed, which can be divided into Guo Ji plate, double ring pattern plate, and plain plate. The latter two are crudely made and have simple patterns. Obviously, they are also funerary objects. Only the bronze he with coiled dragon pattern and Guo Ji plate are well made, with exquisite patterns, and there are inscriptions on the plates. Although this he has no inscription, it should be a practical vessel. It can be determined that the bronze he with coiled dragon pattern and Guo Ji plate are a pair of water vessels, which are part of the bronze ritual vessel combination in Guo Ji's tomb.