Utensils and accessories – 器物与饰物 (part 1)

九.器物与饰物

泛红山文化玉群中的器物和饰物可谓洋洋大观,其品类之多,制作之精,造型之美在世界考古文化中独占鳌头 。迄今发现的新时期时期的中华考古文化玉器,商、周时期的文化玉器以及环太平洋文化区的玉石类器物几乎都可在泛红山文化玉群中找到它们的原型。这表明泛红山文化是中华文明和环太平洋地区文明的重要源头。

雕塑艺术属于社会上层建筑的范畴,它是与经济基础相适应的。高水平的艺术是建立在高水平的经济基础之上的。泛红山文化玉群中有众多器物,如礼仪器,兵器,生产工具,科技用品,和美化生活的装饰品等。如此众多的精美器物向人民展示了一个真实的远古文明社会。

  1. Utensils and accessories

Among the pan-Hongshan cultural jade group, the objects and ornaments can be described as grand everything, as much as its category, its exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful shapes should be the champion in the world. So far the archaeological discovery of early cultural jade objects in different historic period and different area, such as Neolithic period, Shang and Zhou period in China and the Pacific Rim areas can be found their original prototypes in Pan-Hongshan cultural jade group. It shows that the Pan-Hongshan culture is an important source of the Chinese civilization and the Pacific Rim civilization.

Sculptural art belongs to the category of social superstructure; it is compatible with the economic foundation. A high level of art is created in high level of economic foundation. There are many kinds of jade articles in Pan-Hongshan cultural jade group, such as ceremonial devices, weapons, tools of production, technology devices, and decorations to beautify life and so on. So many beautiful objects show to the people a real ancient civilization.

tools 9-1

                                        Fig 9.1

9.1. 勾云形佩

长22.2cm,宽13.3cm,最厚0.8cm。

青玉,棕红沁色,有蚀斑、蚀孔。放大镜下可见蚀孔中有再生晶体。

其造型为一双面雕云形珮,两面纹饰相同。其轮廓形如一缩头伸足之海龟,其中部为一旋涡状勾云纹,纹饰以镂空及打洼法饰出。其上边中央有一对钻斜孔。周边均减薄成钝刃状。在泛红山文化玉器中有多种形状的勾云形佩,此佩是最普遍的一种,它是黄帝族的一支“缙云氏”的图腾。

  • 9.1 Cloud pendant

Length: 22.2cm, width: 13.3cm, maximum thickness: 0.8cm.

It is made of sapphire with corrosive brownish red markings and pits, the regenerated crystals can be seen in pits under the magnifying glass lens.

This is a flake ornament with the same decoration on both sides, the shape of the ornament looks like cloud, so called “cloud pendant”, there are many different kind of the cloud pendants in the Pan-Hongshan cultural jade group, and this kind is the most popular one. It is the totem of one of the branch of Yellow emperor’s family. The shape of its outline looks like a sea turtle which shrank its head and stretched its feet, and a spiral-shaped hook on the middle. The hollow and the depression methods were used in engraving of the decorations. There is a slant-hole drilling on the middle of the top, and both of the inner and outer peripheral edges are chamfered into blunt blade like.

tools 9-2

                                            Fig 9.2

  •  9.2 三联璧

长 7.3cm。

青玉,质优,棕黄沁色,腊状光泽。

造型为一斧形片状玉,周边减薄,自两侧边缘切割三对缺口。此斧形玉自上而下分为三部分,每部分中间有一对钻圆孔,即成三璧相连状。此三联璧造型古朴,沁色很美。新石器时期,中国东北的红山文化玉器和江淮地区的文化玉器都继承了这种形式的三联璧。

  • 9.2 Triple Bi disk

Length: 7.3cm.

It is made of sapphire with corrosive brown markings, and wax-like luster.

It is flake ax-shaped pendant with the chamfered peripheral. Two pair of cutting gaps on both sides divided it into three parts, and a hole at the middle of each part, thus formed the shape of three connected Bi pieces. It is the oldest fashion of the triple Bi disk and it has natural beautiful corrosive colored skin. During the Neolithic period, this kind of Triple Bi disk had been continued in North China and South China.

tools 9-3

                                   Fig 9.3

  • 9.3 戚璧(璇玑)

最大直径7cm,孔径0.8cm。灰绿玉,有棕红沁色、蚀斑及蚀孔。

其造型为一戚璧,或称璇玑。周边有三个突齿,各占120º,每个突齿中间饰有两组细齿,每组三齿。戚璧中心有一对钻圆孔。璇玑是古代用于观测天文现象的仪器。中国史书《尚书.舜典》有相关的记载。

  • 9.3 Qi Bi disk (or Xuanji) pendant

Maximum diameter: 7cm, the aperture: 0.8cm.

It is made of celadon with corrosive reddish brown markings and pits.The shape of the Qi Bi is: three convex protrusions around the peripheral, each of them occupied a span of120 degree and decorated with two sets of teeth on each span, each set three teeth. There is a bifacial hole at the middle of the disk. It was the instrument used for observing astronomical phenomena in ancient time. The related records can be found in the Chinese history book “Shangshu. Shundian”.

tools 9-4

                                              Fig 9.4 

  • 9.4 瓦状玉饰

玉饰轮廓略呈梯形,以有孔的一边为上底,则其外形尺寸为:上底长3厘米,下底长4.6厘,腰长分别为6厘米与4.7厘米。

灰绿色翠玉,棕色沁色,玻璃光泽。

造型为片状,上凸下凹,上端内钩,端面有一对钻孔。上表面饰五道纵向瓦沟纹,下表面磨制平光。这种瓦片形玉饰在泛红山文化期间制作很多,其延续时间也很久,直至夏家店下层文化还有此类玉饰出土。这件玉饰玉质优良,造型美观,工艺精湛。

  • 9.4 Tile-shaped pendant

 

The outline of the pendant is in trapezoidal shape. The length of the upper bottom is 3cm, and the lower bottom is 4.6cm; the waist lengths are 6cm and 4.7cm respectively.

It is made of gray-green jade with corrosive brown markings and shiny glass luster.

It is a camber-shaped pendant, convex upper surface, and concave lower surface. The upper bottom is bended downward with a hole on it. The upper surface was decorated with five longitudinal grooves; the lower surface was grinded flat. This kind of tile-shaped jade pendant was produced many during the Pan-Hongshan cultural period, and continued for a long time, until the Shang dynasty. This pendant is in beautiful shape, and exquisite workmanship.

tools 9-5

                      Fig 9.5

  • 9.5 饰龙、鹰钺

高 6.5cm,宽 3cm,最厚 1.3cm。

墨玉,有灰皮。

造型为一钺,其一面饰浮雕鹰,斧上端有一猪龙盘于其上,猪龙首尾相对成玦状,其形为环目、竖耳、噘嘴、颈后有一牛鼻穿。鹰略展翅,轮廓呈方形。此钺所饰之鹰是东夷族的主图腾;猪龙是普遍的护身符。此坠饰是东夷首领权利的象征。

 

  • 9.5  Yue decorated with eagle and pig dragon

High: 6.5cm, width: 3cm, thickness: 1.3cm.

It is made of black jade with corrosive gray skin.

The Yue is a kind of weapon or ceremonial devise, it is similar to axe, but its volume bigger. The shape of this Yue is: convex curved blade, concave curved waist and flat upper edge. One side of it was decorated with a relief eagle which slightly spread wings, and a pig dragon was decorated on the top which is similar to the pig dragon showed in Fig 2.2. The eagle decorated on the Yue is the main totem of the Dong Yi nationality; the pig dragon is the popular emulate. This modeling is the symbol of the rights of the Dong Yi clan.

tools 9-6

                                       Fig 9.6

9.6. 龙头柄斧

斧刃弧线长 8cm,高 5.5cm。

此器全沁呈棕红色,有灰皮,原玉质不辨。

造型为月牙状斧身及龙头形斧柄。龙头与三星他拉“C”形玉龙之龙头相似。龙耳处有一对钻斜孔,可供佩带。在新石器时期,与此类似形状的石斧广泛地应用于良渚文化区,这表明良渚文化先民也是泛红山文化的继承者。

  • 9.6 Axe with a dragon head handle 

The blade arc length: 8cm, high: 5.5cm.

The surface of the axe is covered by corrosive brownish red and gray markings; the raw jade is not discernible.

This shape of the axe is triangular like with crescent-shaped blade and dragon head-shaped handle. The shape of the dragon head is similar to the C-shaped dragon’s head in Fig2.1.The triangular-shaped stone axe were widely used in the Liangzhu cultural area during the Neolithic period, it indicated that the Liangzhu ancestors also inherited a part of the Pan-Hongshan culture.

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