Bronze Building Component with Animal-Mask Pattern

Period : early Shang Dynasty

Unearthed Place：Shang Dynasty ruins of Xiaoshuangqiao in Zhengzhou

时代：商代前期

出土地点：郑州小双桥商代遗址

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.

兽面纹青铜建筑构件，商代，高19厘米、横18.8厘米、纵16.3厘米，重6千克，1989年河南省郑州市小双桥遗址采集，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.

青铜建筑构件造型独特，正面饰兽面纹，两侧方孔周围各饰一组龙虎搏象图，是中国迄今发现时代最早的青铜建筑构件，显示了商代前期王室建筑工艺的考究和富丽。

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.

器物发现于大型夯土建筑基址附近，推断其应是镶嵌于建筑物上的构件，是目前已知青铜质类器物使用于建筑物上的最早实物，它的发现对研究我国古代建筑发展史具有十分重要的意义。（文图来源：河南博物院）