Rectangular Wine Vessel with Lotus and Crane Motif

Period :  Spring and Autumn period

Unearthed Place: Lijialou Village in Xinzheng

时代：春秋时期

出土地点：新郑李家楼春秋时期郑国郑公大墓

The pot is 117 cm tall and weighs 64.28 kg. The body of the pot is elliptical, and on both sides of its neck are decorated with ears that consisted of two looking back dragon-shaped monsters. Four pterosaurs around the abdomen of the pot seem to be crawling up slowly. At the bottom, two capuchins with their mouths open and their heads looking back seem to be supporting the body with all their strength.

莲鹤方壶高117厘米，重64.28公斤。壶身为椭方形，颈部两侧装饰了两条回首观望的龙形怪兽构成双耳，腹部四周四条翼龙仿佛正在缓缓向上爬行，底部两只张口吐舌、侧首回望的卷尾兽，似乎正在倾其全力承托器身。

 

The most wonderful thing is the double lotus petals in full bloom on the top cover. In the center stands a flying crane with its neck raised and wings spread. Mr. Guo Moruo praised it as "the symbol of the zeitgeist".

最精彩的还是上层盖顶怒放的双层莲瓣，中央伫立一只引颈欲鸣、展翅欲飞的仙鹤，被郭沫若先生誉为“时代精神之象征”。

There is a record saying “100 pots of wine” in The Book of Songs. As a kind of bronze wine ware in the ancient, pot is often used in ancestral temples, feasts and other important activities. The Rectangular Wine Vessel with Lotus and Crane Motif is tall in size and beautifully decorated, reflecting it’s not an ordinary wine vessel, but probably the furnishings of the sovereign of Zheng State, and a symbol of the host's status, wealth and power.

《诗经》中有“清酒百壶”的记载。作为古代青铜酒具的一种，壶常在宗庙祭祀、宴享宾客等重大活动中使用。莲鹤方壶体积高大，装饰华美，并非是普通的盛酒之器，很可能是郑国国君的陈设品，是主人地位、财富和权力的象征。

 

Two pieces of the Rectangular Wine Vessel with Lotus and Crane Motif are collected in Henan Museum and Palace Museum respectively. In addition to its remarkable significance on history and artistry, its casting process is also a masterpiece of multi-mode casting in the Spring and Autumn Period. Therefore, it is called by experts as the "song of the Bronze Age" in China. The delicate Wine Vessel symbolizes that Chinese bronze art has reached a new height.

莲鹤方壶共2件，分别收藏在河南博物院、故宫博物院。莲鹤方壶除了其卓越的历史性和艺术性，其铸造工艺也堪称春秋时期多范合铸的代表作，因此被专家称为是我国“青铜时代的绝唱”。精美绝伦的青铜莲鹤方壶标志着中国青铜艺术达到了一个新高度。（图文来源：河南博物院）