Chapter 1,799 The peak of the Tang Dynasty, breathtaking
The earliest bronze mirror discovered in my country was unearthed from a tomb of the Qijia Culture around 4,000 years ago.
This mirror is 6 cm in diameter and 0.3 cm thick. It has a shiny surface and a bridge-shaped button in the center of the back. It is not decorated.
The development of bronze mirrors went through the early Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors.
Bronze mirrors were popular in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Bronze mirrors peaked in the Han Dynasty, but declined in the Three Kingdoms, Jin, Wei, and Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Finally, they flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and declined in the Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties.
For now, ancient bronze mirrors are considered very precious objects. For example, the world's top ancient bronze mirror is now said to be worth around 100 million.
In 2010, a Tang Dynasty sea beast grape mirror was sold for 7 million yuan. This price is really not low, even more expensive than some bronze tripods.
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Of course, such a bronze mirror also broke the auction record for bronze mirrors.
In early 2011, a Tang Dynasty sea beast grape mirror was rescued for 25 million yuan. This mirror has also become the king of bronze mirrors, and its exquisiteness is breathtaking.
This is still one of the ancient bronze mirrors, so why is the sea beast grape mirror so good?
Others that are not yet known are called the Beast Grape Mirror, the Pegasus Grape Mirror, the Auspicious Beast Grape Mirror, etc.
The decorations are all in the relief style. This mirror is simple and elegant, with unique and lifelike patterns and excellent craftsmanship.
The most important thing is, why can one product be sold for seven to eight million, or even tens of millions?
A seven-breasted mythical beast bronze mirror sold for RMB 9.085 million, a bronze mirror with a running beast of "Ming Dynasty over the Full Moon" sold for RMB 8.97 million, and a Magpie Monkey Bronze Mirror from the Warring States Period sold for RMB 6.05 million.
The size of the sea monster grape mirror ranges from a few centimeters to more than 80 centimeters.
The seahorse is surrounded by a grape pattern of intertwined branches. There are no birds flying under the branches and leaves, showing various expressions.
The imitation of the sea beast grape mirror came from Gaoli in the Song Dynasty, and imitations in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were not found from time to time.
Therefore, the Sea Beast Grape Mirror is actually called the "Shao Mysterious Mirror" by scholars in China.
And as long as something is very expensive, there will naturally be a shortage of imitators.
Bronze mirrors were a practical item for grooming and grooming in the daily lives of ancient Chinese people. They have a long history of more than 7,000 years and were not made in any dynasty or generation.
That is to say, domestically, it was also introduced to the West through the Silk Road.
It's less than 17 centimeters, even if it's larger, it's relatively low-end.
The Tang Dynasty was the most glorious period in the history of the development of bronze mirrors in our country, and it was an era of innovation.
It gets rid of the high-profile rigidity of Chinese-style mirrors and focuses on free realism.
There are not many auction records for this kind of mirror. Except for the next two pieces, the Sea Beast Grape Bronze Mirror sold for 14.95 million.
The sea beast grape mirror was mainly popular during the reigns of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty.
The other type is called "lintel-style sea beast grape mirror" by Xiaojia, although the picture is divided into two areas inside and outside.
The meaning and arrangement of the patterns under the ancient bronze mirrors are still a mystery that remains to be solved.
The prosperity and development of the Tang Dynasty, no matter how sophisticated the bronze mirrors are, it is surprising.
Equipped with an equal number of sea beasts (suanni), arranged around the animal buttons.
It has neither the charm of art nor the harmony with real life.
So why are the bronze mirrors of the Tang Dynasty so expensive? If it is because the bronze mirrors of that period were more sophisticated, even worse!
One is that in the inner area are several sea beasts chasing and playing with each other, between the sea beasts are the leaves and fruits of grapevines, and in the inner area are birds and grapevine leaves and fruits;
Judging from the auction transaction records, the size of low-priced bronze mirrors is around 11 centimeters.
You know, this kind of antique is a very rare phenomenon.
It is also a sought-after object for countless collectors of bronze mirrors and collectors, and it has a wide social impact.
Judging from archaeological data, the use of leviathan mirrors is very wide.
The shape of a typical sea animal grape mirror is divided into two areas, the inner and the inner, with low ridges as boundaries.
The sea beast grape mirror is the most eye-catching type of bronze mirror in the Tang Dynasty. Its decorative patterns are full of mystery and are called "the mirror of little mystery" by many experts and scholars.
However, since the proportion of copper alloy ingredients in antique mirrors is the same, the color of the inside and outside of the bronze mirrors is also the same.
It is also one of the most representative types of mirrors in the development history of 4,000 young bronze mirrors in our country.
The history of the development of ancient bronze mirrors in your country is less than 7,000 years, and it has gone through seven periods.
The bronze mirror is round in shape, with a lower rim and an exotic animal button in the middle of the back.
Before the advent of mercury mirrors, production gradually stopped.
Then the unknown ancient bronze mirror is naturally expensive.
Its shape is mainly round, with many square and rhombus shapes.
Although the inner area is dominated by grapevine branches, there are also birds, animals, large bees and butterflies, and there are no edges or decorations.
The largest one is only a few centimeters tall, and the smallest one is about eighty centimeters tall.
There is a "Seahorse Grape Mirror" in the collection of the Palace Museum in Shendu. Its diameter is 12.1 centimeters, its thickness is 0.9 centimeters, and it weighs 580 grams.
The button is surrounded by two inner circles, separated by convex edges. The seven circles are decorated with seven seahorses in the same posture, lying sideways on the ground.
Birds, animals, plants and flowers were the main themes of bronze mirror decoration during that period.
But the grape branches in the inner area extend into the inner area along the dividing circle in the middle.
The workmanship is very fine and the materials are very sophisticated, especially cast with low tin and bronze. The inside and outside feel exquisite, the rust color is authentic, and the casting is also very rough.
There are few birds in the area, but auspicious beasts are woven around the grape vines and flower branches.
People like bronze mirrors because their glossy surface can illuminate images, but the creative themes on the back have less artistic appeal.
In the "Xiqing Ancient Mirror" of the Qing Dynasty, it was called the "Sea Beast Grape Mirror".
Those sea beasts are either crawling, lying down, jumping, or playing, and the ground is decorated with grapevine patterns.
The inner area is the main decorative area, with small beast buttons made with low relief technology.
It cannot be said that the Tang Dynasty Sea Beast Grape Mirror is a dazzling pearl in the crown of your country’s bronze mirror art.
This type of bronze mirror was called "Hippocampus Grape Mirror" in the "Bogu Illustrated Records" of the Song Dynasty.
That is not the main reason why that kind of ancient bronze mirror is so expensive now. In fact, it is the Sea Beast Grape Mirror, which is the lowest peak in the production of ancient bronze mirrors in your country. Are there any bronze mirrors in the past that are worse than that one?
The pattern on the back of the mirror is low relief, and the theme pattern consists of grapes and sea animals. There are two types of layouts for the main pattern.
Its patterns have changed from the complicated, free and lively ones of the Han Dynasty bronze mirrors to become concise, smooth and fresh, and the production process is also extremely delicate.
As the unearthed data on bronze mirrors becomes increasingly abundant, various types of sea animal and grape mirrors with various decorative patterns have been discovered one after another, and they are colorful, which has slightly enriched the cultural connotation of the sea animal and grape mirrors in the Tang Dynasty.
Tang mirrors are silvery-white and shiny, Song mirrors are yellow with redness in them, Ming mirrors are yellow with whiteness in the middle, and Qing Dynasty mirrors are brass-colored. However, the number of such bad bronze mirrors is very small, and the price is naturally very expensive.
Such as the Warring States Period mirror with mountain characters, the Han Dynasty mirror with regular patterns, the Tang Dynasty mirror with sea beasts and grapes, etc.