Chen Wenzhe took a general look at this batch of jade articles, and found that there were quite a few jade articles with chilong patterns.
"Chi is one of the nine sons of the dragon", "Chi is called Chi without horns".
Chi patterns appeared in jade carvings and originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, flourished in the Warring States Period, and flourished in the Han Dynasty.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the chi's shape was characterized by its snake-like length, twists and turns, and full of vitality.
The body of the chi is divided into two, three and four legs, and its tail is decorated with silk patterns.
There are two types of chi heads, one with a round face and no body, and the other with a long face, ears, and a narrow mouth and nose.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the shape of the chi pattern changed greatly. The body shape was like an animal, with muscular limbs and strong elbows.
The Chi tiger has a head like a tiger, a short snout on the front, a long and slender tail, and is decorated with multiple silk patterns. The image is more fierce, vigorous and tense, so it is also called Chi tiger by custom.
In addition to the chi pattern plum blossom cup and the jade chi pattern, there is also a chi pattern wash.
Judging from the shape and shape of the vessel, it all appears to be from the Ming Dynasty.
This piece of jade is 10 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height.
It is also made from Hetian white jade. The jade quality is delicate and firm, and the polishing is fine. Such jade is difficult to obtain among the people.
Picking it up and taking a closer look, you immediately feel that it is extremely warm and contains precious light.
This vessel has an ingenious design and exquisite workmanship. It is truly a masterpiece of jade carving from the Ming Dynasty.
Don't look at anything else, just look at the five chi dragons hanging on the body of the vessel, climbing on top of the body.
The Chilong has a square head, cut bamboo ears, protruding and wide-open eyes, a vigorous body shape, and strong limbs, lifelike.
The inside was cleaned and the guts were clean, with brown stains on the cracked areas.
Needless to say, this jade wash must have been dug out of a tomb, otherwise it would not have a clear color.
If you look closely at these jades, especially the chi patterns on them, you can see that they have some characteristics of the Han Dynasty and are obviously antiques.
The shape of the chi pattern in the Han Dynasty is basically that the head is short and wide (facet), the eyes are positioned forward, the cheeks are retracted, the lower half of the face is narrowed, and the corners of the eyes to the mouth are in a convex shape.
There were many types of chi patterns in the Han Dynasty. Based on their basic shapes, some scholars divided them into seven categories.
One type has a prominent tiger face, square and round ears, no horns, and a tail decorated with silk patterns.
Category 2, square, round ears, and angular.
Three categories: tiger face, hornless, floppy ears.
Four types, horned and floppy ears.
Category 5, hollowing process to make round ears.
Category six: wings appear on the body of the chili.
In the seventh category, the mother and the child are facing each other, and the big chi is keeping an eye on the small ones, which can also be called the mother teaching the children.
There are various types of chi pattern jade here, and they are all of high quality.
At this time, Chen Wenzhe had in his hand a piece of jade with a chi pattern imitating the Han Dynasty.
The pronunciation of 阘 is shè, and this thing is actually a finger wrench.
The wrench is an archery tool worn on the thumb.
There is a groove directly below, which is used to hold the bow string in order to draw the arrow. The function is to prevent the fingers from being scratched by the rapid withdrawal of the bow string when releasing the arrow.
Because its function is similar to a trigger, it is also called a "machine".
The predecessor of the finger wrench is called the 阘, which was used very early. The earliest device with the function and appearance of the finger wrench was unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao in the Shang Dynasty.
The piece held by Chen Wenzhe is 4.8 cm long, 4.4 cm wide, 1.7 cm in diameter and 1.8 cm thick.
The jade is yellow-white in color, and is partially bleached by Qin.
The main body of the ornament is in the shape of a dragon, with a chi dragon climbing upwards embossed on one side.
The chi head wraps around the back of the ornament and extends to the upper right side;
The Chi's torso and other hind limb are hidden on the back of the ornament, seeming to be shuttled through the clouds, looming;
On the surface of the ornament, a single negative line is used to create cloud patterns.
The combination of horizontal and vertical, clear layers, perfectly brings out the dynamic beauty of Chi, and is more artistically appealing.
In the Han Dynasty, chi patterns were mostly decorated on sword ornaments, with two types: shallow relief and high relief. The designs were often ingenious and the carving craftsmanship was exquisite.
In addition, a large number of them are decorated on chicken heart pendants, on kuokou bi, on daily utensils, and on hooked seals.
These jades all show nobility and have become the most commonly used decorations besides dragons and phoenixes.
In all dynasties after the Han Dynasty, the chi pattern was the main decoration on jade used in the palace and among the people, but it no longer had the glory of the Han Dynasty.
Chi's figure, expression, and claws no longer have the strength of the Han Dynasty, and are only for decoration.
Therefore, jade articles from the Han Dynasty, or imitations of jade articles from the Han Dynasty, are still easy to identify.
For example, another piece of jade is not an imitation of Han jade at first glance.
"Huh? This one is actually a real antique? Is this the chi pattern jade from the Warring States Period?"
Picking up a jade pendant, Chen Wenzhe looked at it carefully. He had discovered a Dragon and Phoenix jade pendant from the Warring States Period before, so he was no stranger to this thing.
Holding it in his hand and inspecting it carefully, Chen Wenzhe soon recognized that it was a jade pendant with a chi tiger and cannibal pattern from the Warring States Period.
It is 3.8 cm high, 6.2 cm wide and 0.4 cm thick.
The jade is cyan in color, with white mist-like qin. There are traces of cinnabar remaining on the surface of the vessel, and it is withered on both sides.
In the middle of the vessel, a chi tiger is engraved, with its body curled into a ring shape.
He bit a naked woman, grabbed the person's arm with his right paw, and grabbed the person's left leg with his left paw.
On both sides of the body are two gods with flying wings, with peaceful expressions and wings on their shoulders.
The design is strange, the carvings are exquisite, it is very mysterious and intimidating.
In the Shang Dynasty, Warring States Period, Qin and Han Dynasties, such artistic expressions were very common.
For example, the tiger cannibal is a national treasure-level bronze vessel, and it is a bronze wine vessel. It is from the late Shang Dynasty.
Such bronzes are relatively large. This tiger-eating man-eater is 35.7 centimeters tall and weighs 5.09 kilograms.
The shape is based on the posture of a tiger embracing a human, and the concept is also very unique.
The tiger on this bronze vessel supports its body with its hind legs and tail, forming the three legs of the tiger.
The tiger is holding a person in its front paws, and the person is squatting towards the tiger's chest.
A pair of bare feet stepped on the tiger's claws, his hands stretched towards the tiger's shoulders, and the tiger was about to open its mouth to eat the human head.
There is a lifting beam attached to the end of the tiger's shoulder. There are animal heads on both ends of the beam. The beam is decorated with long patterns and is backed by thunder patterns.
The upper part of the tiger's back is an oval-shaped mouth with a lid, on which stands a deer. The lid is decorated with curly tail and Kui patterns, and is also backed by thunder patterns, which is consistent with the body of the utensil.
Devour
The tiger's ears are erect and its teeth are very sharp.
Like many bronzes unearthed in the late Shang Dynasty, it has intricate decorations, with human and animal themes as the theme, and expresses strange thoughts.
Obviously, the jade found by Chen Wenzhe is the same thing.
This form of artistic expression is quite interesting.
Mainly because of its decorative function, we modern people have analyzed many opinions.
There are mainly five mainstream understandings.
First, it shows the tyranny and cruelty of the ruler, and uses this shape to intimidate the slaves. The tiger is a symbol of the slave-owning class, and the human is the representative of the slaves.
Second, consider the relationship between humans and animals as humans communicating with the world through the power of animals.
Third, it symbolizes the unity of human self and divine animals in order to obtain the protection of animals.
Fourth, the tiger eating people actually reflects the myth of "tiger eating ghosts", that is, the powerful tiger drives away evil spirits and serves to ward off evil spirits.
Fifth, the tiger represents the natural world and symbolizes people's fear of nature, but it must adhere to nature and express the weakness of human nature.