<論説>一九五六年来出土の唐代金銀器とその編年

Abstract

唐代金銀器に対する従来の理解は、清朝末以降解放以前に流出した出土状況が不確かな資料や、正倉院蔵品や文献の援用の上に立っていた。ところが一九五六年来出土した三百点近い金銀製品のうち、装身具等を除く一一出土地約二六〇点の容器類を整理すると、単独出土品も一括埋蔵品もともに唐代長安を中心に関内道に集中し、しかも唐墓副葬品はなく、舎利埋納物または鎮壇具として仏寺にかかわる例もなく、専ら住居跡と関連する事情が判明する。銀器の切銘および年代の明白な金銀器以外の唐墓出土品とを年代決定の基準として分類すると、唐代金銀器の出現は八世紀初頭までは確実におさえることができ、八世紀前半にピークがあり、以後、八世紀末九世紀初、九世紀中葉以降と三群を設定でき、八世紀初から五〇年単位で展開過程をしることができる。八世紀前半の器のうち、杯形金銀器の環状把手と節つき台脚は金銀器出現の状況に対する指標となり、前者は七世紀ソグディアーナ銀器、後者は中国製作としては隋代にあらわれる六世紀トゥハーリスターソ銀器と密接な関係にある。唐代金銀器の出現にサーサーソ銀器の役割を過大評価した従来の理解は文献上の「胡」の内容とともに再検討の余地がある。

The T'ang gold and silver wares have been discussed on the base of the materials such as those of unknown provenances collected either personally or by museum outside of China and the objects related to the T'ang silver inherited in Shosoin as well as the written records of historical characters. Since 1956 more than 260 pieces have been found scientifically or by chance at 11 sites in and around Ch'ang-an 長安 or the capital of the T'ang periods. The finds appear to have been connected exclusively to habitation quarters, discovered neither as funeral objects nor as the Buddhist relics. By the legends inscribed on the wares themselves and the objects other than the gold and silver from the datable T'ang graves, they can chronologically be settled into three groups: (1) the first and earlier group dated to the first half of the 8th century is the most elaborate and prosperous in quality and quantity, and shows a common destiny to the Tri-colour Pottery 三彩, (2) the second and intermediate has few example except a gilt-silver plate with paired phoenix design found from outside of the western limit of Ta-ming-kung palace, and (3) the third and most deteriorated from the middle of the 9th century on is the prelude to the mass-production of the Sung silver. Among the first group the striking features are the ring handle and ball stem of certain types of cups. The former claims a strong parallelism to those of the Sogdian silver systematically analized and dated by Marshak to the 7th and the 8th centuries, while the latter reveals to have been the most favourite type of goblets among the Hephthalite rulers in Tokharistan, but never used in China until the Sui dynasty. This facts freshly tell that the Sogd-Tokharistan silver should bring to light the obscure prehistory and earlier history of the T'ang precious metal wares against the routine view that the Sassanian silver profoundly influenced the explosive emergence of the T'ang gold and silver.