Item number: X53

Year: Inscribed AD 1738

Material: Bronze

Size: 17 x 10 x 16.5 cm (per cup)

Weight: 0.6 kg

Provenance: Guang Ya Zhai 2008

These are three archaistic resonant bronze jue (爵) vessels produced during the Qing Dynasty. “Resonant bronze” (xiangtong 響銅) was the nomenclature utilised for bronze during this period.

The primary container of the vessel is cylindrical with a convex base, decorated with a circumscribing thunder pattern (leiwen 雷紋), twin mushroom-shaped pillars (zhu 柱), and three pyramidal feet. At the anterior of the rim is a long spout (liu 流) for pouring liquids, which flares slightly outwards before tapering at the terminus; at the posterior is a shorter tail (wei 尾). The curvature of the spout and tail is relatively gentle, aligning more closely with Ming and Qing stylistic conventions than with the reconstructions of the archaic period or the Song Dynasty. On the underside of the spout is an inscription stating “Made on an auspicious day in the mid-winter of the third year of the Qianlong (乾隆) reign,” an unconventional location as inscriptions were typically engraved on the side of the belly. Two pillars stand upon the rim near the spout, and a handle (pan 鋬) is positioned on one side of the vessel, perpendicular to the axis connecting the spout and tail. The base is supported by three tapering, slightly curved conical feet.

The jue (爵) served as a central libation vessel within ritual sacrificial ceremonies. Its earliest appearance dates to the Erlitou (二里頭) culture, contemporary with the Xia Dynasty, reaching its zenith during the Shang Dynasty—noted for its developed viticulture—before declining during the Zhou Dynasty following a critical reflection on the previous regime’s ruinous indulgence in alcohol. Due to the obstructive nature of the two pillars on the rim, it is widely surmised that the jue (爵) functioned as a ritual or pouring vessel rather than a drinking cup. From the Qin and Han Dynasties onwards, bronze ritual vessels waned in popularity. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu sought to reform the “profoundly disordered” systems of the Five Dynasties period by emulating the Three Dynasties, thereby instigating the Song tradition of epigraphy and archaeology. In the early Ming Dynasty, a preference for austerity led to the simplification of bronze ritual forms into contemporary porcelain bowls and plates. This practice persisted into the early Qing until the Qianlong (乾隆) reign, which saw a restoration of diverse materials and classical styles. During the reforms of AD 1748, the production of jue (爵) was strictly governed by social stratification: jade or gold jue (爵), or innovative “coconut jue” (paojue 匏爵) made from coconut shells inlaid with gold, were reserved for the primary positions of Great Sacrifices such as the Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Bronze jue (爵) without gold ornamentation were primarily utilised for sacrifices to former emperors, the First Teacher, and various spirits.

The ritual reforms of the Qianlong (乾隆) era originated primarily in AD 1748, aiming to establish cultural orthodoxy and political order through the integration of “innovation based on ancient systems” and “Great Unification” governance. These reforms were motivated by the Emperor’s dissatisfaction with the prevailing use of porcelain vessels, which he perceived as a departure from classical forms. Consequently, he decreed that “ancient systems be utilised in their entirety,” re-evaluating the ritual vessels of temples, imperial processions, ceremonial dress, and musical instruments. The quintessential achievement of this reform was the compilation of the Huangchao liqi tushi (皇朝禮器圖式). This manual employed Western realistic techniques, such as linear perspective, to reify “ritual” into standardised material entities, establishing an exceptionally precise hierarchy of materials and colours. Regarding policy, the Qianlong (乾隆) Emperor adhered to Confucian ritual norms for state sacrifices while simultaneously commissioning the Manchu-language Qinding Manzhou jishen jitian dianli (欽定滿洲祭神祭天典禮) to safeguard Manchu traditions, illustrating a strategic balance between maintaining ethnic identity and presiding over a sinicised regime.

A collection of bronze jue (爵) bearing inscriptions such as “Made on an auspicious day in the mid-winter of the third year of the Qianlong (乾隆) reign” remains extant. While their morphology suggests they were first produced during the Qianlong (乾隆) era, they are currently absent from the archives of the Imperial Household Department (Zaobanchu 造辦處), the Ministry of Works, or the Ministry of Rites. It is possible these were manufactured for private Confucian veneration or for collectors; whether they truly originate from AD 1738 remains a subject for further academic verification.

物件編號: X53

年代: 標示為公元 1738 年

材料: 響銅

尺寸: 17 x 10 x 16.5 cm (每件)

重量: 0.6 kg

來源: 廣雅齋 2008

這是三尊仿古響銅爵杯，清代所製。響銅即清代對青銅的稱法。

爵杯容器主體呈直筒狀，底部圓凸，腹部飾雷紋環繞，雙菌狀柱，三錐足。口緣前有傾倒液體用的長流口，稱「流」，微微外敞，再於末端收束；後有較短的「尾」。流與尾的翹曲程度較平緩，更接近明、清制，而非上古或宋代的還原。流的背面下緣有落款「乾隆三年仲冬吉旦製」，位置少見，一般鐫名文字於腹側。流至口緣上立有兩個「柱」；器腹一側有把手，與連接流尾的軸線成直角，通稱為「鋬」；腹底有三個尖而高的「足」，呈微彎的錐狀。

「爵」為禮制祭典中核心的酌獻酒器，最早見於與夏代同期的二里頭文化，在飲酒文化發達的商代達致鼎盛，又因周代對前朝嗜酒誤國的反思而衰落。由於其口緣二柱不便使用，因此多猜測為禮器或斟器，而非飲器。秦漢以降，青銅禮器不甚流行。宋初，太祖欲一改五代「衰亂甚矣」、「制度舛錯」的格局，力求祖述三代，也因此開宋代金石考古之風。明初為崇尚質素，將具備三代青銅器形的禮器簡化為當代的瓷質碗盤形式，清初沿襲此制，直至乾隆朝才恢復多元材質與古典樣式。在乾隆十三年的改革中，「爵」的製作嚴格對應身份等級：天壇與太廟等大祀正位使用最尊貴的玉爵、金爵，或依據古制創新的「匏爵」(以椰殼嵌金製成)。青銅材質的爵(不加金飾)則主要用於祭祀「前代帝王」、「先師」(即儒門先賢)以及「諸人鬼」等位次。

乾隆朝的禮制改革主要起源於乾隆十三年(公元1748年)，旨在透過「依古制更新」與「大一統統治」的結合，建立王朝的文化正統與政治秩序。改革的動機源於乾隆皇帝對明代以來祭器以瓷碗盤充數、背離古典形制的現況感到不滿，因此下令「悉用古制」，重新釐定壇廟祭器、鹵簿儀仗、冠服與樂器等制度。此次改革的核心成果為《皇朝禮器圖式》的編纂，該圖譜採用西方擬真技法(如銷筭線法)將「禮」具象化為標準的物質實體，建立了極其精確的材質與色彩等級體系。在政策上，乾隆皇帝一方面遵循儒家禮制規範壇廟祭祀，另一方面則編纂滿文《欽定滿洲祭神祭天典禮》以捍衛滿洲舊俗，展現出其在維護族群本位與漢化政權間的平衡策略。

有一批刻有「乾隆三年仲冬吉旦(處/虔)製」等銘文的銅爵流傳至今，依其形制當為乾隆年間始製，但內務府造辦處、工部、禮部檔案均暫未見諸紀載。可能是民間為祭孔或收藏所製，具體是否為「乾隆三年」所出，則待考。