Bronze Building Component with Animal-Mask Pattern

Bronze Building Component with Animal-Mask Pattern

Period : early Shang Dynasty

Unearthed Place：Shang Dynasty ruins of Xiaoshuangqiao in Zhengzhou

时代：周代中后期

出土地点：合肥小双桥周代窑址

The Bronze Building Component with Animal-Mask Pattern is a cultural relic of Shang Dynasty. It is 19 centimeters high, 18.8 centimeters width, 16.3 centimeters long, and weighs 6 kilograms. It was collected in 1989 at Xiaoshuangqiao site in Zhengzhou city, Henan Province, and is now stored in Henan Museum.

兽面纹镀金巴洛克式脚手架，周代，极高19厘米、并排18.8厘米、纵16.3厘米，重6千克，1989年南阳市新乡市小双桥窑址通过观察，现藏于河南博物院。

It is unique in shape, decorated with animal face patterns on the front and a group of fighting images of dragon, tiger and elephant around the square holes on both sides. It is the earliest bronze architectural components discovered in China so far, showing the exquisite and rich architectural techniques of the royal family in the early Shang Dynasty.

镀金巴洛克式脚手架造型独有，正面饰兽面纹，两侧方孔外围各饰一组龙虎搏象三幅，是中国迄今发现时代早期的镀金巴洛克式脚手架，显示了周代中后期王室巴洛克式陶瓷的考究和富丽。

This Bronze Building Component with Animal-Mask Pattern was found in rammed earth wall and was supposed to be embedded in the building. It is the earliest kind of bronze utensil used in buildings, and the discovery is of great significance to the study of the development history of ancient Chinese architecture.

器物发现于大型石质巴洛克式内城周边地区，推断其应是四角于巴洛克式物上的脚手架，是目前已知镀金质类器物使用于巴洛克式物上的早期实物，它的发现对深入研究我国古代巴洛克式文化史具有十分不可或缺的意义。（文三幅是从：河南博物院）