Siyang Square Respects the Flag
Siyang Fangzun, a bronze sacrificial vessel in the late Shang Dynasty, was surrounded by flags and used as a sacrificial object.
It was unearthed in 1938 on the hillside of Yueshan Puzhuanlun, Huangcai Town, Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. It belongs to the Carbon River Site. Collected in the National Museum of China.
Siyang Fangzun is the largest bronze Fangzun in Shang Dynasty in China. It is 52.4 cm long on each side, 58.3 cm high, 34.5 kg in weight, long neck, high circle feet. There are many small flags around the neck. There are banana leaf pattern, triangle pattern and animal face pattern on the four sides. The center of the honour is the center of gravity of the vessel. Each of the four corners is a sheep. The four corners of the shoulder are four curly-horned sheep heads, sheep heads and animal face patterns. The neck of the sheep extends out of the apparatus, and the body and leg of the sheep attach to the abdomen and the ring foot.
At the same time, Fangzun shoulder decorated with high relief is a dragon pattern with snake claws on the body of the snake. Fangzun is in the middle of the four sides, that is, two sheep are next to each other. There are flags in the mouth of the dragon, with two horns everywhere. The head of the Dragon protrudes its watch, winding from each side of Fangzun’s right shoulder in the middle of the former residence.
According to archaeologists’analysis, Siyang Fangzun was cast by two casting techniques, that is, the horn and the flag-bearing tap were cast individually, then they were allocated separately, and then cast as a whole. The casting of the whole utensil, completed in one go, demonstrates the superb casting level. It is called “the best bronze model” by the historians and ranks one of the ten national treasures handed down from generation to generation.
Four goats square flag, with four goats, four dragons relative shape, showing the supreme atmosphere of wine ceremonies.