Bronze fish and crane pattern print

[Copper fish and crane pattern print]

Copper fish and crane pattern print, Western Han Dynasty, printing face 1.5 × 1.5cm, printing thickness 0.6cm
It is made of copper, and the two sides are concave cast with pictures and texts. On one side, the two cranes hold their chests up against each other and fight for the title of a big fish. The shape is vivid. On the other side, the word “Cao Ting Er” is cast
There are many seals with fish and crane designs in the Han Dynasty. There are two cranes standing against each other for fish, two cranes standing against each other for fish, and one crane holding fish. Some are cast into raised patterns, and some are engraved with lines on the printing surface. The products of mountains and rivers, fish and salt, were the national interests and the livelihood of the people in the Han Dynasty. People eat rice and fish, and have no worries about bad years. At first, “fish” has not been extended to the meaning of “surplus” in auspicious celebration, which itself represents a kind of wealth. Cranes are fish-eating animals and are auspicious birds in traditional culture.

鱼鹤图案铜印（图案）钤本鱼鹤图案铜印（文字）鱼鹤图案铜印（文字）钤本