The bird standing on the boar's back could have been used as the handle for the zun's lid. The bird reminds me of the iconic oxpecker that stands on a rhino's back. Here's a picture of an oxpecker on a boar, this may have been the artists inspiration for making this piece.
I chose this piece because it has a some what animated look to it, it reminds me of Disney's, Timon and Pumba, except, it'd be Zazu and Pumba. The Asian culture has always been very fascinating to me. Asia is so diverse, and it's always interesting to find something new that they do differently, as compared to things we do here.
When I read that this piece was discovered in 1981, I was surprised because that was not too long ago. I then remembered that pieces in China were not allowed to be dug up until recently because of its sacred attributes to previous ancestors. This piece is very similar to the covered ritual wine-pouring vessel (Guang) with Tiger and Owl Decor in our books. That piece is also from the Shang Dynasty, 13th century. I love the way the other real life picture that you included of the bird on the back of the rhino. I think that is such a powerful piece! I wonder why artists were inspired to create a piece that depicted the event of the bird on the rhino's back?
ReplyDeleteWhat I enjoy about this piece is how the sculpture mixes the natural with the geometric and artificial. What I mean is I like how they would take animals in nature and mark these patterns and embellish what these creatures look like into the wax molds. In a way, these works remind me of the tattois we looked at, where the carvings held some sort of connection to the spirit realm. I wouldn't be too surprised if that style was chosen for that reason, since one of the main tenets of Taoism is that the person holds life sacred. It in a way feels like an evolution from the tattois, at least to me.
ReplyDeleteSame impression with me. I also thought Disney's Timon and Bumba, and the shape on boar is interesting. He looks like he is waring an armor.
ReplyDeletethe netted grid design on the side of the boar make it look like its wrapped up and ready to cook.It is indeed a beautiful piece, and the intricate designs on the head looks very interesting. I really like the lid, but it seems like the material its made of is really heavy and hard to grip and lift. I was thinking of pumba immediately too btw, the boar has a really modest and relaxed look to it.
ReplyDeleteThis has the same feel at the other zoomorphic piece we looked at in class. The combination of organic shapes with geometric pattern is beautiful and is being explored by artists today.
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