Chinese Bronzes - Classification of Pieces in The Imperial Collection

Classification of Pieces in The Imperial Collection

The appreciation, creation and collection of Chinese bronzes as pieces of art and not as ritual items began in the Song Dynasty and reached its zenith in the Qing Dynasty in the reign of the Qianlong emperor, whose massive collection is recorded in the catalogues known as the Xiqing gujian and the Xiqing jijian (西清繼鑑). Within those two catalogues, the bronzeware is categorized according to use:

• Sacrificial vessels (祭器),
• Wine vessels (酒器),
• Food vessels (食器),
• Water vessels (水器),
• Musical instruments (樂器),
• Weapons (兵器),
• Measuring containers (量器),
• Ancient money (錢幣), and
• Miscellaneous (雜器).

The most highly prized are generally the sacrificial and wine vessels, which form the majority of most collections. Often these vessels are elaborately decorated with taotie designs.