Change and Unity: Research on the 'Modular' Design Method of Decorative Patterns on Bronze Ritual Vessels

摘要

According to the book Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art, the "modular" design method has been used throughout all aspects of Chinese traditional ware design. Bronze ritual vessels, as the main part of bronze wares in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, their decoration system is also characterized by module, that is, different decorations appropriate for different parts and surfaces of bronze ritual vessels can be produced through various combination of a certain number of decorative matrixes and units. Based on the "modular" design method, this paper combs and analyzes the design methods for decorative patterns on bronze ritual vessels.