CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

105
Gold zhan bowl and hi spoon
zhan: height n.o (4%), diam. at mouth 15.1 (5 7 /s)
W: length 13 (5 %)
Warring States Period (c. 433 BCE)
From Leigudun, Suixian, Hubei Province
Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan
Unlike the bronze ritual vessels and bell chime,
which were placed in the main chamber, this covered
bowl and spoon were found with other gold
objects in the tomb's eastern chamber. 1 The location
suggests that these objects were not for ritual
purposes, as were many of the objects placed in
the chamber, but intended for the marquis'
personal use and enjoyment. The spoon was found
inside the bowl, indicating that they composed
a set. Perforations in the bowl of the spoon suggest
that it might have been used to scoop meat or
vegetables from a broth or to serve grain. 2
Unlike the majority of the ritual bronzes from
the tomb, the vessel does not bear an inscription;
nevertheless, certain aspects of the style indicate
that it was cast in Zeng foundries. The S-shaped
zoomorphic feet are simplified versions of the creatures
that support some of the bronzes from the
tomb, such as the;m stand for the hu (cat. 96).
The decoration — dragon interlace on the bowl
and squared spirals and rope twist on the cover —
echoes that on a bronze ding, inscribed with Marquis
Yi's name, from the tomb's central chamber. 3
The spoon is made of electrum (87.45 percent
gold and 12.55 percent silver), a naturally occurring
alloy. 4 The bowl has not been analyzed but is undoubtedly
of similar composition. The thickness of
the metal indicates that the piece was cast rather
304 CHU AND OTHER CULTURES