Bronze art in China, nowadays, can be found everywhere there are altar pieces in schools, in temples and even in homes. All these bronze items are representative of the culture of ancient China as most of these items are a direct reflection of the bronze art of Chinese ancestry.
Earlier periods used to create bronze implements and decorate these with etched lines later, the craft moved on to having embossed designs. As the technology grew, Chinese began to make three dimensional sculptures, even, later, embellishing the pieces with inlaid designs using various materials like mother of pearl segments and semi-precious stones. The Chinese often used silver, gold, copper, and turquoise as inlaid designs they were not very particular with the value of what they used, rather, they were more concerned with the visual appeal of their material and how it went with the piece in particular. These inlays were often very exquisitely rendered, often sporting line designs, animal designs, and even Chinese characters. These designs were mostly intended for decorative purposes, however, because of the vastness of Chinese believe and culture, these additions to the art work took on a different meaning.
To note, in this paper is the bronze figure, Tiger Eats Man which was created some time in the Ting dynasty and was used for the representation commonly known as the beast of gluttony. While the Chinese regarded gluttony as an offense against the flesh, where the person is not able to control bodily demands, this particular item is not a direct representation of what gluttony actually is. The item sports an area for the heating of wine, and the containment of food because of the faith of the Chinese, the mere taking out or carrying of food was regarded as an immoral act because if one was in tune with his or her divinity, one would not be concerned with feeling physical hunger or not, hence, the attachment of the word gluttony to items that were used to carry food and drink, as a manifestation of a persons fear of becoming hungry. Now, going back to the item in question, it is obvious that this brass implement, regardless of function, portrays a man being eaten by a tiger.
If the Chinese horoscope is considered, this is not a very strange thing because the tiger is a representation of the strength that humans can never par with. However, if contemporary Chinese belief is considered, we will notice that the tiger was not part of ancient belief as the highest creature in Chinese ancient spirituality is the dragon. So, why does the tiger figure in this bronze piece The simple explanation of this would be that the ancients only used earthly figures to represent supernatural force, so in the absence of something to represent divine forces, the ancients created the dragon. Now, the problem of representation goes deeper with the dragon representing the supernatural and nothing to represent human nature. So, instead of using the lion, which is a fierce creature as well, the Chinese used the tiger which was an animal readily visible to people in Central Asia. So, therefore, in the bronze figure, the tiger represents the instincts of man, instincts that eventually eat man up if man has no control over it.
Perusing the artwork further, we find that the item is created not in the realistic style it is exaggerated, hence, possibly, representative of hyper-reality or even symbolism. Looking at the piece, we see that the tiger is nothing like a real tiger and the man is nothing like how a real man should be. This could be explained by the tendency of the Chinese to simply make representations of even to the extent of making sarcastic representations of. In effect, this artwork, being a containment vessel of food and drink is an insult to those who believe in gluttony. The entire body of the beast in the artwork is also suffuse with inscriptions and detail, therefore, validating the tendency of the Chinese to cloak that which may be socially inacceptable with elements that may be easily construed as beauty
The deep indentations in the object all show that the item was created after the propensity of the Chinese for line inscription and before the discovery of inlay because there is nothing inlaid in the object. To note also is the fact that the item has developed a green film over it, known as the patina, which, contrary to popular belief that such a layer destroys bronze work, actually protects the item from natural forces.
Another feature of the object that is worth noticing is the fact that the entire object rests on three legs, hence, it being called a tripod. This represents the Chinese belief in the significance of the number 3. Chinese believe that because Buddha had to go through three tests before he became pure, the number three represents ones journey towards purity. Now, with an object intended to contain sustenance, the existence of three legs, intended to prop the object up, also represents the belief of the Chinese that whatever is placed into the vessel will become pure.
If one looks at the face of the man in the sculpture, one would see an expression of submission. While many people would say that this expression is inconsistent with mans natural reaction to threat or being killed by a beast, Buddhism can easily justify this matter. The passive expression of the man in the figure is representative of mans submissiveness to human nature that when faced with a situation where the instinct on man is challenged, man can never give way in fact, man always uses humanity as a reason or as cause of the reemergence of his animalistic instincts. So, what this piece says in terms of iconography is that the tiger, which is representative of mans instincts, has to make man realize that human instincts will kill him in the long rum.
In terms of material, it is understandable that the Chinese would use bronze for this particular item, because it was known to be very durable. So, with an item that was used almost everyday, one had to choose material that would not easily wear off. Note, however, that bronze is not like steel, and required human participation in its preservation, therefore, the use of bronze did not necessarily represent eternity in the existence of the object, rather, it represented the participation of man in its preservation.
The Chinese were always conscious of aesthetics and it is normal with this piece that despite the functionality of the object beauty was still preserved. We see here that despite the Chinese advancement in technology they were not up to sacrificing culture and arts for the mere functionality of an item. What is very commendable in this particular object is that fact that aesthetics and functionality are married together neither is sacrificed.
Nowadays, people sacrifice functionality for art many people sacrifice many things for art, but it is important that we learn from the Chinese in their treatment of art and tradition, that despite the requirement of functionality, the rendition of function can still be, always, artistic.
Earlier periods used to create bronze implements and decorate these with etched lines later, the craft moved on to having embossed designs. As the technology grew, Chinese began to make three dimensional sculptures, even, later, embellishing the pieces with inlaid designs using various materials like mother of pearl segments and semi-precious stones. The Chinese often used silver, gold, copper, and turquoise as inlaid designs they were not very particular with the value of what they used, rather, they were more concerned with the visual appeal of their material and how it went with the piece in particular. These inlays were often very exquisitely rendered, often sporting line designs, animal designs, and even Chinese characters. These designs were mostly intended for decorative purposes, however, because of the vastness of Chinese believe and culture, these additions to the art work took on a different meaning.
To note, in this paper is the bronze figure, Tiger Eats Man which was created some time in the Ting dynasty and was used for the representation commonly known as the beast of gluttony. While the Chinese regarded gluttony as an offense against the flesh, where the person is not able to control bodily demands, this particular item is not a direct representation of what gluttony actually is. The item sports an area for the heating of wine, and the containment of food because of the faith of the Chinese, the mere taking out or carrying of food was regarded as an immoral act because if one was in tune with his or her divinity, one would not be concerned with feeling physical hunger or not, hence, the attachment of the word gluttony to items that were used to carry food and drink, as a manifestation of a persons fear of becoming hungry. Now, going back to the item in question, it is obvious that this brass implement, regardless of function, portrays a man being eaten by a tiger.
If the Chinese horoscope is considered, this is not a very strange thing because the tiger is a representation of the strength that humans can never par with. However, if contemporary Chinese belief is considered, we will notice that the tiger was not part of ancient belief as the highest creature in Chinese ancient spirituality is the dragon. So, why does the tiger figure in this bronze piece The simple explanation of this would be that the ancients only used earthly figures to represent supernatural force, so in the absence of something to represent divine forces, the ancients created the dragon. Now, the problem of representation goes deeper with the dragon representing the supernatural and nothing to represent human nature. So, instead of using the lion, which is a fierce creature as well, the Chinese used the tiger which was an animal readily visible to people in Central Asia. So, therefore, in the bronze figure, the tiger represents the instincts of man, instincts that eventually eat man up if man has no control over it.
Perusing the artwork further, we find that the item is created not in the realistic style it is exaggerated, hence, possibly, representative of hyper-reality or even symbolism. Looking at the piece, we see that the tiger is nothing like a real tiger and the man is nothing like how a real man should be. This could be explained by the tendency of the Chinese to simply make representations of even to the extent of making sarcastic representations of. In effect, this artwork, being a containment vessel of food and drink is an insult to those who believe in gluttony. The entire body of the beast in the artwork is also suffuse with inscriptions and detail, therefore, validating the tendency of the Chinese to cloak that which may be socially inacceptable with elements that may be easily construed as beauty
The deep indentations in the object all show that the item was created after the propensity of the Chinese for line inscription and before the discovery of inlay because there is nothing inlaid in the object. To note also is the fact that the item has developed a green film over it, known as the patina, which, contrary to popular belief that such a layer destroys bronze work, actually protects the item from natural forces.
Another feature of the object that is worth noticing is the fact that the entire object rests on three legs, hence, it being called a tripod. This represents the Chinese belief in the significance of the number 3. Chinese believe that because Buddha had to go through three tests before he became pure, the number three represents ones journey towards purity. Now, with an object intended to contain sustenance, the existence of three legs, intended to prop the object up, also represents the belief of the Chinese that whatever is placed into the vessel will become pure.
If one looks at the face of the man in the sculpture, one would see an expression of submission. While many people would say that this expression is inconsistent with mans natural reaction to threat or being killed by a beast, Buddhism can easily justify this matter. The passive expression of the man in the figure is representative of mans submissiveness to human nature that when faced with a situation where the instinct on man is challenged, man can never give way in fact, man always uses humanity as a reason or as cause of the reemergence of his animalistic instincts. So, what this piece says in terms of iconography is that the tiger, which is representative of mans instincts, has to make man realize that human instincts will kill him in the long rum.
In terms of material, it is understandable that the Chinese would use bronze for this particular item, because it was known to be very durable. So, with an item that was used almost everyday, one had to choose material that would not easily wear off. Note, however, that bronze is not like steel, and required human participation in its preservation, therefore, the use of bronze did not necessarily represent eternity in the existence of the object, rather, it represented the participation of man in its preservation.
The Chinese were always conscious of aesthetics and it is normal with this piece that despite the functionality of the object beauty was still preserved. We see here that despite the Chinese advancement in technology they were not up to sacrificing culture and arts for the mere functionality of an item. What is very commendable in this particular object is that fact that aesthetics and functionality are married together neither is sacrificed.
Nowadays, people sacrifice functionality for art many people sacrifice many things for art, but it is important that we learn from the Chinese in their treatment of art and tradition, that despite the requirement of functionality, the rendition of function can still be, always, artistic.
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