Ewer [HE 盉]

 

Eastern Zhou Dynasty-Warring States Period (c. 480-221 B.C.) 

東周 - 戰國 青銅獸紋盉

Bronze, Tripod. 33 cm x 23cm x 34 cm.  (13” x 9” x 13.5” [length x width x height])

 

Description and Background

Ancient Chinese bronze vessels served ritual and political (as well as practical) purposes, often as a means for rulers to display royal authority. The oldest bronze vessels excavated in China date from the semi-legendary Xia 夏 dynasty (c. 2070-1600 B.C.) and became widespread during the succeeding Zhou Dynasty. With the decline of the last Zhou king, seven warring states (戰國七雄, c. 480-221 B.C.) emerged contending for rulership through both military and material means. Adherence to earlier prescribed religious rituals and ceremonies would serve to assert and maintain the prestige of the ruler, and each of the Warring States had its own religious customs and practices. These included variations within the local bronze casting and metallurgical industries, and samples are found in the tombs of kings, princes, and other nobles in the ancient capitals of these states.   

Whereas this type of tripod water ewer is found together with wine vessels in tombs of the Shang period, it typically appears with a shallow water basin (pan 盤 / 槃 / 盘) in Zhou tombs. This change in burial context suggests a change in function—from a vessel used to dilute wine to one used to pour ablutions. Vessels such as the Ricci Institute’s He 盉 (which is the oldest item in our collection) display zoomorphic forms on the spout, handle, and legs. The dragon on the spout symbolizes the excellence of power on the Earth, the Seas, and in Heaven. Circular inscriptions on the lid and body provide valuable information on the historical events of the period, and often include details of patrimony. 

The vessel’s surface is cast in a thin, delicate pattern of about one millimeter depicting the coiling hornless dragon known as the Panchi Motif  蟠螭紋, a common design from the Warring States period. The chain hole above the lid handle has been eroded and blocked, and once held a chain connecting the lid to the handle, as is common in this type of vessel.

This object was obtained by Ricci Institute Director, Fr. Antoni Ucerler, S.J. in 2020 in Japan, where it had once been in the collection of a branch of the Tokugawa family.

By Mark Stephen Mir and Dr. Kim Jihyun 지현 [金志玹]

Ricci Institute, Boston College