Chapter 27 Section 5 Common Application of Bronze Mirror, Belt Hook and Copper Lamp

In ancient times, people initially used pottery basins to hold water for Jianrong, so basins are also called Jian.After entering the Bronze Age, bronze was used to make mirrors.Most of them are round, slightly convex on the front, clean and bright, and are used to judge appearance.There is a button in the middle of the back for hanging with a rope.There are decorative patterns around it, which is full of artistry.The earliest bronze mirror found in the Central Plains is a four-sided bronze mirror from the late Shang Dynasty unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb at Yinxu in Anyang, Henan.They are round, and some are cast with leaf vein patterns, bead patterns and other patterns on the back, and there is a semi-circular button in the center, which is rough.There are very few bronze mirrors found in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, which shows that the production of bronze daily necessities was underdeveloped in the period when bronze ritual vessels were developed.

In the Warring States period, especially after the middle period of the Warring States period, with the final establishment of the feudal system, the bronze ritual vessels declined, while the production of bronze mirrors and other daily-use bronze wares developed greatly and were widely used.For example, about a quarter of the Chu tombs excavated in Changsha, Hunan during the Warring States period were buried with bronze mirrors.The bronze mirrors of Chu State mainly include mountain-shaped mirrors, pan-chi pattern mirrors, and four-beast pattern mirrors; they often use fine feather-like patterns as the ground pattern, which contain high tin and are very delicately made.The bronze mirrors unearthed in Jincun, Luoyang, Henan Province can be used as representatives of the Central Plains region, with exquisite craftsmanship, including gold and silver mirrors, jade-inlaid glass mirrors, and composite mirrors made of bronze with different tin contents on the mirror surface and mirror back.In addition, there are hunting mirrors of warriors riding horses and holding swords to fight wild animals, etc., which express the real life of society and are very vivid.

After the Qin and Han Dynasties, bronze mirrors continued to develop, and bronze mirrors with inscriptions appeared, especially the appearance of light-transmitting mirrors (that is, when light shines on the front of the bronze mirror, it can reflect the rough image of the back of the mirror), reflecting the mirror-making process. height level.During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the craftsmanship of bronze mirrors reached its peak, such as the auspicious animal grape mirror and the moon palace mirror, which have high artistic value.During the Ming and Qing dynasties, glass mirrors became popular and replaced bronze mirrors as the main container appraiser.

In daily necessities, copper belt hooks were also widely used during the Warring States Period.The copper belt hook is a buckle (buckle) on a leather belt (belt), generally in the shape of a pipa.The front end is thinner and made into a hook head, mostly in the shape of an animal head.The hook body is slightly curved.The rear end is thick and round with round buttons on the back.The hook head and the round button are respectively buckled into the holes at both ends of the leather belt to tie the waist.According to archaeological findings, copper belt hooks appeared in the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was earlier than those found in surrounding areas, indicating that the belt hooks were first invented in the Central Plains, not by the Xianbei people in the north.The belt hooks of the Warring States period are mainly copper belt hooks. In addition, there are gold belt hooks, silver belt hooks, iron belt hooks and jade belt hooks. Some of them are very delicate, not only practical, but also exquisite decorations.For example, the gold-coated jade-inlaid silver belt hook unearthed in Guwei Village, Hui County, Henan Province, is 18.4 cm long, in the shape of a pipa, with a silver tray on the bottom and a gold-coated relief animal head on the top. There is also a bead embedded in the center, and the hook head is made of white jade, which is very exquisite and represents the high level of craftsmanship in the Warring States Period.Belt hooks were popular in the Qin and Han dynasties.During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the belt hook declined and was replaced by hinges (buckles).

Among daily necessities, bronze lamps also developed greatly during the Warring States Period. They were filled with grease or candles and lit for lighting.Most of its shapes imitate pottery beans, but there were also many fine products with complex and vivid shapes during the Warring States Period.For example, 15 consecutive tree-shaped lamps and silver-headed human-shaped lamps were unearthed from the tomb of King Zhongshan in Pingshan, Hebei.Among them, the silver-headed human-shaped lamp is 66.4 cm high.In the middle is a standing man in a robe, with silver hair, gemstones in his eyes, and a pleasant and peaceful expression on his face.He holds a chilong in his right hand, holding a tall lamp post in his mouth, and the top of the post is a lamp panel.On the lamp post, there are Chilong coiled around, and a monkey is climbing.The left hand also holds a dragon, and the mouth of the chilong supports the lamp panel of another low lamp.The shape is vivid, and it is an exquisite arts and crafts.In the Warring States period, in addition to copper lamps, there were also pottery lamps and jade lamps.Bronze lamps became more popular during the Qin and Han dynasties, such as the Changxin Palace Lantern unearthed from the Tomb of Dou Wan of the Western Han Dynasty in Mancheng, Hebei.