席镇——中国古代实用艺术品(英文)

The two bronze leopards shown in the picture are more than two thousand years old. Hunched bodies. straining necks. eyes and mouths wide open—their realism is a credit to the artist. The bodies of the leopards are inlaid with gold and silver. Their eyes are white agates adhered with vermilion dye. so that the eyes have a fierce devil-like. red eyed stare. These exquisite bronze leopards are not only represent a rare example of ancient crafts manship. but also give an insight into life at the time. Ancient Han Chinese people's homes were always furnished simply In Han Dynasty(B. C. 206—A. D. 220) more than two thousand years ago. people sat only on floor mats. Their beds were also covered with mats To avoid the corners curling up as guests stood up or sat down. mat weights were used for the dual purpose of decoration and keeping the mat nice and tidy