Chapter 1807: The jade from other mountains can make mistakes
So, are bronze mirrors fragile or strong?
In fact, Qian Zhongshu's experimental results are correct, but the conclusion is wrong.
According to modern analysis of the alloy composition of ancient bronze mirrors, by the late Western Zhou Dynasty from the Qijia Culture, the copper, tin, and lead contents of bronze mirrors were unstable.
Bronze mirrors from this period had low tin content, reddish-yellow color, soft texture, and poor reflection effect;
From the Warring States Period to the Tang and Five Dynasties, most of them were lead-containing high-tin bronze.
The composition is generally 72% copper, 22% tin, and 5% lead. Most of them do not contain zinc or have very low content. They have high hardness and are suitable for casting various patterns, but are easily damaged;
From the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the composition was generally 70% copper, 6% tin, 13% lead, and most zinc was more than 10%.
Due to the rise of porcelain, bronze mirrors focused on economy, practicality and ease of production, thus reducing the tin content and increasing the lead and zinc content to facilitate casting.
This results in a softer texture, blurred patterns, and even distortion, but the bronze mirror is not easily damaged.
Through composition analysis, it can be seen that the bronze mirrors before the Song Dynasty had a high tin content, high hardness, brittle texture, and were easy to break;
Bronze mirrors after the Song Dynasty contain lower tin content, higher lead and zinc content, lower hardness, soft texture, and are not easy to break.
Therefore, Mr. Qian Zhongshu's spirit of "breaking bronze mirrors to verify the classics" is commendable, but since he broke bronze mirrors from the Song Dynasty and later, the conclusion will naturally be wrong.
The small bronze mirror reflects thousands of years of history and has become a treasure in cultural heritage and a metaphor for history.
History is a mirror that can look back on the past, see the present clearly, and enlighten the future.
Unfortunately, the bronze mirrors Chen Wenzhe saw here were all imitations.
But if the imitations are well made, they are also valuable for collection, such as the Warring States Bronze Mirror in front of you.
This is a replica of a turquoise elephant inlaid mirror from the Warring States Period to the early Han Dynasty.
The diameter of this mirror is 28.0cm and it weighs 1313g.
This mirror is round and has no edge.
The entire surface of the mirror body is made with the metal joinery decoration technique "staggered stone".
That is, the turquoise is embedded in the chiseled groove of the bronze mirror with lacquer liquid, and then polished.
The mirror body is divided into three ring-shaped areas from the inside to the outside. The inner ring area is decorated with bud-like patterns, and the outer ring area is decorated with deformed moire patterns.
As the main body, the middle ring area is mainly composed of triangular geometric shapes, shaped like axes or spears from the Warring States Period weapons.
The composition is in the shape of an axe, which is extremely rare to this day.
This mirror is not simple, because it uses craftsmanship that is rarely used by modern people.
This is one of the ancient metal joinery decoration techniques. In the chisel groove of the copperware to be cut, turquoise is glued with lacquer liquid and then ground and processed, which is called "cut stone".
The Yue King Goujian sword unearthed from the Chu tomb in Wangshan, Jiangling, Beihu, has an animal face pattern inlaid with turquoise on the back, and the traces of polishing are very clear.
The three-button bronze mirror with gold and silver interlaced with turquoise during the Warring States Period was unearthed in Linzi, Qilu Province. The thick cloud pattern is interlaced with gold wire and the ground is inlaid with turquoise. The craftsmanship is very high.
Especially the combination of gold and silver filigree and turquoise makes the color more brilliant.
The wrong stone generally refers to turquoise.
An inscription on gilt-bronze dendrobium inlaid with turquoise from the Han Dynasty calls turquoise "Qing Bi Min (Rose) Present".
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, turquoise was called "Qingbi", so Cuo stone was also called "Bi Cuo".
This will better reflect its color characteristics.
The term "Cuo Shi" was proposed by Rong Geng in "A Comprehensive Examination of Yi Ware of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties". In ancient times, bronze wares inlaid with turquoise were often polished and polished, so they should be called "Cuo Shi" together with gold, so Rong Geng called them "Cuo Shi".
There is also a saying that it is "Shi Cuo", which is reasonable.
This kind of craftsmanship is also reflected in bronze wares, which is the inlay craftsmanship of bronze wares.
The so-called bronze inlay process is to embed wire pieces of other materials on the surface of the cast bronze.
Then, the wrong stone is used to smooth the surface of the bronze to form a decorative pattern or text.
But when making some special utensils, there may only be inlaying without misalignment.
If some bronzes are inlaid with turquoise or precious stones, there is no need to grind them to a smooth surface.
As far as we know, the inlay materials of bronze vessels mainly include red copper, turquoise, jade, gold, silver, iron, etc.
Use the color contrast between bronze and other materials to make the embedded patterns or text more clear, distinct and beautiful.
This makes an artifact not only have practical value, but also gives it artistic effect and cultural value.
It is because of the inheritance of various cultures that it has been passed down to this day. There is also a saying: there is a craft called "Jiacuo" and a culture called "Warring States"!
Embedding errors, embedding errors, can naturally be divided into "embedded" and "wrong".
When it comes to "inlaid", it is easy to think of "inlaid", yes! They are the same family.
"Inlay" means to carve grooves on the surface of the utensil, embed gold and silver wires into the grooves, and beat them firmly.
So what’s so surprising about this and modern inlay? And the answer is “wrong”.
"The Book of Songs: Crane Ming" says that "jades from other mountains can be wrong."
This stone is a special stone that usually acts as a polisher. It plays an important role in the creation of jade.
Not only that, "wrong" is also a special procedure in our traditional crafts, with a history of more than 2,000 years.
Looking at it this way, do you feel the dazzling light of "embedded error"?
As a decorative technique for bronzes, inlaying was widely used in the middle and late Warring States Period.
A bronze pot with inlaid banquet and war patterns during the Warring States Period was unearthed from Baihuatan in Sichuan.
Warring States period copper square pot with inlaid cloud patterns, unearthed in Xinjin.
Others include Warring States Period bronze bottles with inlaid dragons, phoenixes and cloud patterns.
They all use the inlay technology. These ordinary pots and bottles have different cultural connotations due to the inlay modification.
On the surface of the bronze, silk pieces of other materials are embedded, and then stones are used to grind the surface of the bronze flat to form patterns or characters.
Because of the color contrast between bronze and other different materials, the embedded patterns or text are clearer, more vivid and beautiful, making the utensils full of artistic effect.
The craft of inlaying turquoise began in the Xia Dynasty; the craft of inlaying red copper began in the Shang Dynasty; and the craft of inlaying gold and silver developed in the mid-Spring and Autumn Period.
The prosperity of the entire bronze inlay process was during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, especially the Warring States Period.
For example, four layers of pictures were drawn on the copper pot with the patterns of banquet and war during the Warring States period.
There is mulberry picking on the first floor, feasting on the second floor, offensive warfare on the third floor, and hunting on the fourth floor.
A small pot, due to its faulty inlay, can reveal all kinds of life in the Warring States Period, allowing us to glimpse the various aspects of the Warring States Period that were full of singing, dancing, killing and conquest two thousand years ago.
Although inlay is rarely used in the production of handicrafts now, inlay gold, silver, and gilding are still in use.
Especially the emergence of ironware in the late Warring States period led to the widespread use of gold, silver and gilding.
And like inlay, it has become an important way to decorate utensils, jointly showing the style of the Warring States Period.
The hollow vases made by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty also drew inspiration from Jia Cuo.
These craftsmanship techniques are still indispensable processes in ceramic crafts and carving crafts to this day.
It can be said that the craftsmanship is embedded in the wrong, the Taoist culture and the Warring States Period are passed down for thousands of years.