A magnificent and exceptionally rare silver-inlaid bronze crossbow casing and trigger, Late Warring States period - Han dynasty | 戰國末至漢 銅錯銀螭龍紋弩郭連弩機

Japanese Private Collection. 

Kochukyo & Co, Tokyo.

日本私人收藏

壺中居，東京

Ceremonial Splendors: An Exceedingly Rare Silver-Inlaid Crossbow Mechanism

Superbly cast and sumptuously decorated in silver inlay, this magnificent and unique mechanism is a masterwork of ceremonial art, clearly commissioned for a ruler or high-ranking aristocrat, while retaining its utilitarian function as a crossbow casing and trigger. This fitting is possibly a unique example, showcasing both the talented mechanical engineering and the technological virtuosity of the weaponry workshops in ancient China. Related crossbow triggers preserved with an embellished casing appear to be extremely rare, and a supreme example such as the present work, which was likely created and reserved for royal patrons, must have represented the peak of luxury during the Warring States period and the Qin and Han dynasties. 

Bronze crossbow mechanisms first appeared in sixth century B.C. and were widely used as military weapons in the Qin and Han dynasties. The basic crossbow usually comprised several main components: a tumbler which includes a release (ya) to hold the bow string and an aiming element (wangshan), a sear (gouxin), and a trigger (xuan dao). A metal casing (guo), as seen on this piece, was introduced in the late Warring States period, to cover the trigger mechanism and serve as a means of protection from recoiling, therefore increasing the accuracy, as well as the durability of the weapon.

The elaborate silver-inlaid decoration suggests that the mechanism was part of a prestigious piece likely made only for ceremonial rather than military use. Decorating bronze works with gold or silver inlay started in the Eastern Zhou period, and this fashion continued into the Han dynasty with beautiful patterns applied onto bronze surfaces. Compare a gold-inlaid zun decorated with similar geometric patterns, attributed to Eastern Han period, illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese bronzes], vol. 12, Beijing, 1998, pl. 43.

The present crossbow mechanism is also notable for the two extensions on the rear side resembling an abstract animal head. Several crossbow fittings are found with a similar feature, such as a pair of animal-headed terminals, inlaid with silver, illustrated in Ancient Chinese and Ordos Bronzes, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 105; another pair of crossbow supports, attributed to 5th - 4th century BC, illustrated in Chinese Art of the Warring States Periods. Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C., Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1982, cat. no. 26; a third pair, inlaid with gold and silver decoration of geometric patterns, from the British Museum and attributed to 5th - 4th century BC, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual, London, 1987, pl. 38.

Compare a related crossbow mechanism, excavated from tomb no. 53 of Sishui Kingdom Mausoleum site, Jiangsu Province, Western Han period, now in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Yang Haitao, 'Jiedu lishi yangwang xianzu / An Eye to The Special Exhibition of Classic Culture Relics Excavated from Jiangsu Province in Past 60 Years', Shoucang jia, February 2010, pl. 12, p. 6; another example with scrollwork motifs, attributed to Western Han, illustrated in Shanxi qingtongqi / The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi'an, 1994, pl. 27; a third one, decorated with inlaid animal and bird ornaments, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, illustrated in Sueji Umehara, Shina-kodo seikwa / Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America, part III, vol. II, Osaka, 1933, pl. 111; and a related piece decorated with thin, curved lines inlaid with gold and silver, sold in these rooms, 21st September 2006, lot 158.

風矢齊鳴：銅錯銀螭龍紋弩郭連弩機

本品弩器，世之罕見，郭身滿飾錯銀紋樣，精湛卓絕，華貴至極，可見其主之無上地位，極有可能為王家之物，內連弩機，極為少見，或為孤品。此品不僅代表了古代藝匠之鬼斧，更是象徵著戰漢時期珍華無倫之極致。

漢代機械製造技術高超，錯嵌工藝精湛，本作造工卓絕，堪稱其中典範。銅弩機最早見於公元前六世紀，秦漢時期使用廣泛。弩機基本結構由幾個主要部分組成：用以鉤弦之「牙」、瞄準器「望山」、扳機「懸刀」以及「勾心」。如本品有「郭」之弩機始見於戰國末期，至秦漢頗為普及。「郭」的作用為保護內部的弩機裝置，以減少後坐力、增加準度，且可減少弩機磨損，有效提高弩弓壽命。

本品錯銀裝飾精緻，展示此弩華貴，應為儀式而製，並非實戰軍器。錯金或錯銀金屬器始於東周，延續至漢代。可比較一件東漢錯金尊，紋飾與本品相近，載於《中國青銅器全集》，卷12，北京，1998年，頁43。

本品另一獨特之處見於後側末端抽象獸首形飾，可見數例亦有相近特徵，比較一對錯銀獸首構件，圖載 《青銅聚英：中國古代與鄂爾多斯青銅器》，香港東方陶瓷學會，香港，1990年，編號105；另見一對，斷代公元前五至四世紀，圖載《Chinese Art of the Warring States Periods. Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C.》，弗利爾美術館，華盛頓，1982 年，編號 26；第三對錯金銀，幾何紋飾，大英博物館藏，斷代公元前五至四世紀，圖載於傑西卡•羅森，《Chinese Bronzes: Art and Ritual》，倫敦，1987 年，圖版 38。

參考一弩機例，出土自江蘇西漢泗水王陵遺址53號，現藏南京博物院，載於楊海濤，〈解讀歷史仰望先祖〉，《收藏家》，2010年2月，圖版12，頁6；另一例飾卷草紋，斷代西漢，載於《陝西青銅器》，西安，1994年，圖版27；第三例飾靈獸及鳥紋，藏波士頓美術館，圖載梅原末治，《歐美蒐儲支那古銅精華》，大阪，1933年，第三冊，卷II，圖版111；再見一例，錯金銀紋飾，於2006年9月21日售於紐約蘇富比，編號158。