Source: smile on the lips: wine set
Time: Western Han Dynasty
Texture type: bronze
Function type: wine set
Column keywords: wine vessels from Qin and Han Dynasties to Southern and Northern Dynasties
Collection: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
cultural background
1968 bird-printed bronze pot was unearthed from the tomb of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan in Mancheng, Hebei Province. Its appearance is very ordinary, with a height of 40 cm, which is small mouth, neck, bulging belly and short circle. It is not much different from the bronze hip pot of the same period, but the pattern on the pot body is quite unusual. It turns out that the smooth and delicate patterns of gold and silver thread embedded in the pot body are mostly seal cutting composed of bird and fish patterns, mainly bird-shaped patterns, so it is called "bird seal pattern". The bird print pattern on the copper pot is not only an elegant decorative art, but also a catchy ode to wine. Contrary to the ancient poets' practice of paying attention to the wonderful artistic conception of drinking, it clearly puts forward that drinking has the benefits of "moistening skin, prolonging life and eliminating diseases", which is a record of the dietotherapy and health care methods of taking wine as medicine, preserving health and eliminating diseases in early China. The discovery of bird seal is also of great significance to the study of the history of ancient calligraphy in China.