Early Chinese Dynasties
- Comments
-
Glasgow Museums has a collection of 320 bronzes and jades from the period of the early Chinese dynasties, and which date from c. 1600 to 221 BC. This collection comprises 184 bronzes and 136 jades and is considered to be one of the best in Britain. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, bronze and jade were ritual art materials and were used in ceremonies venerating ancestors. Sir William Burrell began collecting Chinese bronzes in 1911, and jades in 1912. The bronzes are diverse and vary in function, shape and age. There are four different classified types – food vessels, wine vessels, water vessels and musical instruments. The collection also notably comprises many ritual bronze vessels (liqi) 禮器, which were cast using multiple ceramic moulds. These represent a technology that has no parallels elsewhere in the ancient world. China’s early dynasties were the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC) and the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–221 BC).
- Broader term
- Staff Contact