长信宫灯（Changxin Lamp）is an ancient lamp made during the Western Han Dynasty (172 BC), and unearthed in 1968 AD from the Royal Tomb of Jingwang in Hebei Province. It belonged to the wife of Jingwang, Douwan, which was a gift from the Queen Mrs. Dou. “Changxin lamp” is named after the name of palace which the Queen lived. It is made out of bronze, and entirely gilt in gold. This lamp features a statue of a maid kneeling on the ground, gently lifting up the lamp with her raised right arm, and supporting it with her other arm at the bottom. This simple gesture looks natural and elegant, but what really fascinates me is the cleverness of design in its function.
It was considered the most remarkable lamp in the Chinese history, not only because of its delicate craft, but also its practicality. During the Western Han Dynasty, animal fat was used to make candle, hence a lot of smoke was produced in the burning process. To deal with this problem, the designer used the broad sleeve of the statue’s right arm to seal up the top of the lamp, and work like a chimney to bring smoke through the arm into the body. The statue is hollow inside, containing water at the base of the lamp, which would dissolve the smoke and dust in the air as the candle burns. This entire purifying process is deliberately hidden inside the lamp, so the users only see the light, clear air and the elegant lamp design.
In addition, the lamp base and the two panels around the cylinder are made to turn, in order to adjust the illumination and direction of the lamp. This intelligently designed ancient lamp offers almost the same kind of light control as we now have with electrical lamps. It amazes me how advanced this lamp is designed, combining the aesthetics and practicality.
by Cassie Q.
No comments:
Post a Comment