Early Zhou art shows
considerable continuities from Shang
tradition. For the first two centuries of Zhou, all major
vessel classes and all the main types of ornament used by the Shang
continued to be used. Ancestors remained central
to the religious imagination in Western Zhou times. Bronzes were
often inscribed with reports to ancestors detailing the achievements of
their descendants. Bronzes also continued to function as symbols of
secular power, and were often given as gifts by the Zhou kings to their
followers.
How do the shapes and decorative motifs on the bronzes from the count's tomb shown below compare to those in Fu Hao's tomb? |
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What function do you think the piece below would have served on a chariot? |
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Move on to Jades in Count Yu's tomb |
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