The functions of ancient jade are varied, what are the characteristics of jade in the Shang Dynasty?

During the <> Shang Dynasty, not only the bronze ware was famous, but also the many jade objects were also famous all over the world. The jade of the Shang Dynasty is represented by the jade unearthed from the tomb of the woman in Yinxu in Anyang, with a total of 755 pieces of jade unearthed, which can be divided into six categories according to the use: ritual vessels, ceremonial vessels, tools, household utensils, ornaments and miscellaneous utensils. Therefore, it can be said that there are various types of jade in the Shang Dynasty.

In the Shang Dynasty, jade craftsmen began to use Hetian jade to make jade, and there were many of them, including practical utensils such as jasper and green jade that imitated bronze. Animal jade and human jade greatly exceed geometric jade, jade dragons, jade phoenixes, jade parrots have different expressions, jade people or walking or standing, or kneeling or sitting, postures are diverse. Most of this type of jade is exquisite and highly collectible.

"Green jade bird-shaped pendant" is a late Shang Dynasty jade, unearthed in 1976 in Anyang Yinxu women's tomb, now in the Henan Museum. It is 10 centimeters long and centimeters wide. The green jade bird has short wings, pointed beak and round eyes, a cocked tail and bent feet, and a hole in the neck, which can be worn and tied.

The green jade bird-shaped pendant is outlined with double-sided and double-line outlines, which is a typical Shangyu style.

The types and quantities of jade artifacts in the late Shang Dynasty increased compared with those in the early Shang Dynasty and ancient times, indicating that the function of jade was gradually expanding. The jade of the early Shang Dynasty was represented by straight yin lines and thin flakes of jade, while the jade art of the late Shang Dynasty had symbolic and decorative characteristics, such as some three-dimensional jade carvings of figures, mainly highlighting the characteristics of their heads, eyes and teeth and other organs, omitting details, only making symbolic sketches, and applying round and graceful yang lines to important details, showing a strong decorative interest.

This highly unified artistic technique of symbolism and decoration was the mainstream of jade carving in the late Shang Dynasty. In addition, the Shang Dynasty also had a simplified type of jade, such as jade fish and jade knife. The jade craftsmanship of the above two tendencies originated from ancient times and laid the foundation for the progress of jade in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

The Shang Dynasty jade materials were relatively sophisticated, and the Hetian jade in Xinjiang became the main jade material, most of which belonged to green jade, less white jade, and less green and white jade, topaz, black jade, and sugar jade. The use of Hetian jade laid the necessary material foundation for the Shang Dynasty jade to reach its second peak since the late Neolithic period, marking a new era of ancient Chinese jade culture. In addition to Hetian jade, there are also a small amount of Dushan jade, Xiuyan jade, turquoise, malachite, Qingtian stone, etc.

The diversity of jade species is the second characteristic of Shang Dynasty jade.

The Shang Dynasty jade is selected from Hetian jade in Xinjiang, the jade is a fusion of Longshan culture, Hongshan culture, the lines and ornaments on the jade are vivid, giving people a particularly solemn feeling, the volume of jade is very large, and the lines are very smooth.

The Shang Dynasty jade was very diverse, and it was generally with handles, diamond-shaped patterns, clear textures, bright colors, and carved jade knives in the shape of animals.

The characteristics of Shang Dynasty jade are that the material is relatively sophisticated, mainly Hetian jade, which looks crystal clear, and the carving technique is very vivid, simple and generous.

The colors are beautiful, very exquisite, the colors are very varied, and the styles are very numerous. It has been liked by many people, simple and generous,

The ancient jade of the Shang and Zhou dynasties is generally simple and generous, that is, it gives you the feeling that the carving is not very fine, but it will be very vivid and vivid.

In terms of shape, the characteristics of Shang and Zhou jade are more obvious. The ornamental techniques of Shang and Zhou jade use carving techniques such as "hooking", "bas-relief", "ground reduction" and "ground pressing" to shape the outline of the jade body, and express the detailed characteristics of the jade with yin and yang lines. Normally, this is the case with jade, but it should be borne in mind that some counterfeit Shang and Zhou jade artifacts imitate this method of production to fool collectors.

In the selection of jade materials, the ancient jade of the Shang and Zhou dynasties used a large number of Kunlun jade.

Characteristics: The various types of jade that make up the ornaments tend to be simplified in terms of types, the jade used for funerals has increased significantly, and the daily necessities and ornaments made of jade have also developed greatly. In terms of carving technology, the number of round carving, high relief, openwork jade and inlaid jade objects has increased compared with before.

The style of ornamentation has shifted from abstraction to realism, and some jade-like objects have a sense of reality and vitality.

Related: Han Dynasty Jade: The jade of the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) inherited the tradition of jade from the Warring States period. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the number and types of jade artifacts of the Han Dynasty unearthed were very large, and the scientific value greatly exceeded that of heirlooms.

Most of the unearthed jade artifacts are the tombs of some Han Dynasty princes and kings and their relatives.

From the establishment of the Han Dynasty by Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, in 206 BC, to the first year of the Han Xian Emperor Liu Xieyankang (220), it lasted more than 400 years. The history of the Han Dynasty passed through three stages: the Western Han Dynasty (206 8 BC), the Xinmang (9 25) and the Eastern Han Dynasty (Emperor Guangwu to Emperor Xian, 25 220). Since the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, jade carving has entered a realm of "self", in addition to the same shape of some utensils, but also boldly created a unique carving style.

The first thing that is shown is the sword technique of the Han Dynasty, which is vigorous and powerful, rough and smooth; Secondly, the animal shape is beautiful, the turn is orderly, and there is a tendency to frighten people's souls, so it is also called "real relief". Jade and jade color The jade material of the Han Dynasty basically belongs to tremolite nephrite, of which Xinjiang Hetian jade and Manas jade account for a large proportion. In Hetian jade, there are many seed jade and mutton fat jade in the water material.

Other jade stones are agate, crystal, talc, amber, turquoise, etc. The colors of jade include white jade, green jade, topaz, green jade, brown jade, etc., and some jade objects are made of serpentine jade. Modeling The shape of jade artifacts in the Han Dynasty can be divided into two categories: geometric shapes and human and animal shapes.

Geometric shapes include bi, ring, bead, tube, gui, ge, cong, zhang, etc.; The characters and animals are dancers, phoenixes, dragons and phoenixes, claws, jade pigs, jade cicadas, jade horses, jade bears, etc. Ornamentation Han Dynasty jade ornamentation can be roughly divided into two categories: one is geometric patterns, and the other is animal patterns.

The geometric patterns on Han Dynasty jade are most common in swirl, valley and pu. The grain pattern and pu pattern are mainly engraved on the jade. Some of the swirls and cloud patterns may have developed from the beaulieu pattern.

Animal patterns can be divided into two types: realistic and patterned.

1. Political function: ancient jade is the materialization of the hierarchical system, and the moral and cultural concepts of jade.

2. It was endowed with moral and cultural concepts, and the moral and cultural concepts of jade developed from the Western Zhou Dynasty and originated from folk customs; It has been propagated and respected by Confucianism, conceptualized by thinkers, and has more vitality; Successive generations of the ruling class have skillfully exploited it; Accepted by the population. This is an important reason for the longevity of jade.

3. Economic value: ancient jade as a means of accumulating wealth.

4. Ceremonial function: Ceremonial jade has always accounted for the mainstream of ancient Chinese jade.

Compared with the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the characteristics of jade in the Warring States period are:1The number of curtain jade ornaments has increased, and the structure is more complex.

2.The jade armor pieces made from other jade objects were widely popular and were the prototype of jade clothes in the Han Dynasty. 3.

Jade dragon, jade and so on are not only gifts, pendants and other practical, but also a large number of funerals, but the quality of jade is inferior, more with the jade Min production, carving sloppy and sloppy.