The Connotations of Different Decorative Patterns on Bronze Vessels

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_20How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Bronze ware; Bronze ware ornamentation; Ritual system; Religion; China

Abstract

Bronze ornamentation serves as a crucial material carrier and spiritual symbol of ancient Chinese bronze civilization, with its connotations profoundly reflecting the social systems, religious beliefs, and artistic aesthetics of the era. The most representative examples include the classic motifs of Shang and Zhou bronzes (such as taotie patterns, kui-dragon designs, thunder patterns, and phoenix-bird motifs). This paper integrates archaeological evidence with historical records to explore the symbolic meanings, cultural functions, and historical evolution behind these decorative patterns. The research reveals: Firstly, bronze motifs were not merely decorative but centered on “imagistic metaphors,” employing divine creatures and geometric schematics like sacred tree motifs, to establish communication channels communication channels between heaven and humans, reflecting the profound intentionality or creative purpose of the artisans. Secondly, the combinatorial principles and hierarchical distinctions of these motifs mirrored the power structures of ritual society. For instance, the rise of phoenix-bird motifs after the mid-Western Zhou period correlated with the reinforcement of patriarchal systems and the concept of the Mandate of Heaven. Through decoding the semantic layers of these motifs, this study provides new perspectives for understanding the political-religious systems of the Bronze Age, the interplay between technological concepts, and the formative logic of early Chinese artistic symbolism like such as sacred tree and bird motifs.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yiyi Wang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/25
TI  - The Connotations of Different Decorative Patterns on Bronze Vessels
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 4th International Conference on Educational Science and Social Culture (ESSC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 177
EP  - 184
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_20
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-553-9_20
ID  - Wang2026
ER  -