Decorative Designs Patterns in Chinese Bronze Ware

Bronze Ware Decorative Patterns 

Different patterns have been found and classified by archaeologists, including fire design, lightening design, animal mask design, bird design, animal design, and dragon design.

Animal Mask Design

Animal mask design, also known as Taotie design, is the most important design on Shang bronze ware and continued to be used in the Western Zhou. It shows a ferocious mythical animal called a taotie that has a huge head and little or no body. The design was first described in Mr Lu's Annals of the Spring and Autumn Period, a historical record compiled in the Warring States Period.

Dragon Design

The dragon design appeared in the Shang or earlier. The dragon was worshipped as the god of water in ancient China. Rain was thought by some to be caused by dragons flying in the clouds. One of the most popular designs is the kui dragon, a dragon with a bowed body, horns, and large eyes, as shown above.

Bird Design

The bird design and phoenix design were popular in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The phoenix integrates features from different birds and is an auspicious animal. Originally, bird designs were a symbol of male reproductive organs. Originally, bird designs include phoenix design, owl design, luan design  (based on the luan, a mythical bird), and goose design.

 Fire Design

The outlines of animal designs, like that shown below, were crafted skillfully to become handles for vessels, borders for other designs, or to fit the space available for other functions.

Animal Design

According to the Classic of Rites the tortoise is one of the four spiritually endowed animals. The other three are the phoenix, unicorn, and dragon. The tortoise symbolizes longevity and endurance. The tortoise shown below is from a bronze ware rubbing.

Over time some of the patterns became more abstract and became geometric patterns. The lightening design, shown below, is an example of this.

Lightening Design