| has gloss | eng: Bronzes are some of the most important pieces of Chinese art, warranting an entire separate catalogue in the Imperial art collections. The Chinese Bronze Age began in the Xia Dynasty, and bronze ritual containers form the bulk of the collection of Chinese antiques, reaching its zenith during the Zhou Dynasty. 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). |
