The Simuwu Rectangle Ding

司母戊大方鼎

In 1939, a bronze ding which is an ancient cooking vessel¹ with two loop handles and four legs was unearthed² in Anyang, Henan Province. This four-legged ding known as the Simuwu Rectangle Ding was so big and heavy that it could not be moved after it was unearthed. The Japanese invaders³ tried several times to plunder⁴ it. To protect this rare cultural relic⁵, the local people reburied it and then unearthed it again after China won the Anti-Japanese War in 1945. The Simuwu Rectangle Ding is now collected in the National Museum of Chinese History. The opening of the Simuwu Rectangle Ding is 110cm long and 78cm wide,its sides are 6cm thick and the loop handles are 133cm high. The whole ding weighs 875 kilograms and is the heaviest bronze ware⁶ in the world. The casting of this huge bronze vessel used over l ,000 kilograms of metal and needed 70 t0 80 crafts-men to work on it. It is the biggest bronze ware unearthed in China and also a treasure in the world's bronze ware collection. Though the ding is big and heavy,its workmanship is exquisite⁷.Relief of Kui (a one legged mythical⁸ animal) was carved on the four sides of the body of the ding. The animal figures are portrayed⁹ with artistic¹⁰ exaggeration and create a ferocious¹¹, mysterious and dignified¹² atmosphere. Dings were used in the primitive¹³ society in China as cooking utensils¹⁴. At first they were made of pottery¹⁵ clay. Then, as metallurgy emerged and developed, the material was changed to bronze at the end of the Shang Dynasty some 3, 000 years ago. By that time, dings had changed function to become sacrificial vessels¹⁶ and the symbol of their owners' power and wealth. The Simuwu Rectangle Ding reveals a high level of casting technique and artistry. It represents the highest casting achievement of the Shang Dynasty. According to the archeologists, the King of the Shang Dynasty had the Simuwu Rectangle Ding made to commemorate¹⁷ his mother.

1939年，在河南省安阳市出土了一件青铜鼎，该鼎为我国古代一种炊食器，有两个立耳和四足。这件被称为司母戊大方鼎的四足方鼎出土后，因为又大又重，一时无法搬运。日本侵略者多次强索该鼎，为避免这件珍稀文物惨遭掠夺，当地人们再次把它埋人地下，直到1945年抗战胜利后，才重新将其出土。司母戊大方鼎现收藏于中国历史博物馆。司母戊大方鼎口长110厘米，宽78厘米，壁厚6厘米，立耳高133厘米。整尊鼎重达875公斤，是世界上最重的青铜器。铸造这件大型的青铜器皿使用金属原料1000多公斤，需要七八十名工匠操作完成。它是中国出土的最大一件青铜器，也是世界青铜器收藏中的一件珍品。大方鼎虽然形大体重，但制作工艺非常精美，鼎身四周用浮雕刻出夔龙（想象中的一种单足动物）纹样。这些动物纹样是经过艺术夸张而刻划出来的，纹样衬托出一种狰狞、神秘、威严的气氛。鼎在原始社会时期的中国用作炊食器，最先由陶土烧制。随着冶金技术的出现和发展，在约3000年前的商代后期鼎改用青铜浇铸而成，而且，这时的鼎已经改变用途，成为一种礼器，是权力和财富的象征。司母戊大方鼎展现出一种高超的铸造工艺和艺术水平，代表了商代铸造技术的最高成就。据考古专家考证，商王铸造这尊司母戊大方鼎是为了纪念自己的母亲。