Overview of Chinese Bronzes What is Chinese Bronze? When should Chinese bronzes be produced at the earliest? This is the first problem that bronze collectors and those who are interested in mastering the identification technology must figure out. Archaeologically speaking, Chinese bronzes refer to the bronzes of Shang Dynasty, Western Zhou Dynasty and Spring and Autumn Period. These bronzes are mainly made of copper and cast with a small amount of tin and lead. They are named for their blue-gray color. Its types mainly include tools, weapons, cookers, food containers, wine containers, water containers, beer containers, chariots and horses, etc. All kinds of patterns are exquisite, and inscriptions are treasures of calligraphy art. Bronzes in Shang Dynasty and early Western Zhou Dynasty are dignified and heavy in shape, fine and gorgeous, and the decorative patterns are mostly gluttonous patterns, dragon patterns, animal patterns and geometric patterns. Inscriptions are vigorous and simple, and generally have fewer words. From the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, the style tends to be simple, the shape is free, and the decorative patterns are mostly geometric patterns with fine lines, but the number of long inscriptions is more than before, which may be due to the developed characters. From the late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, in addition to animal patterns and geometric patterns, light and exquisite seven-character patterns were also carved with thin lines for hunting, war and banquets. The invention of bronze ware is an epoch-making creation, and the three historical periods of Shang, Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn belong to the Bronze Age. When did Chinese bronzes first appear? There is a legend called "Chiyou is a soldier". According to legend, Chiyou led an army to attack the Huangdi tribe, and the two sides "fought in the land of Zhuolu". At the beginning of the battle, the Chiyou army won again and again, because there were five weapons in their cradle: Ge, Shu, Ji, Emirates spear and Yi spear. It is estimated that these weapons are made of copper. Later, the Yellow Emperor made a compass for the war, which turned the tide and subdued Chiyou. Zi Huazi also records that in order to celebrate the victory, the Yellow Emperor did not send people to Shoushan to collect copper ore, and then transported the copper ore to the foot of Jingshan to cast a tripod as a commemoration of the victory of the war. As far as the oldest bronze knife unearthed in China is concerned, the earliest appearance of bronze products in China will never be later than 4,000 years ago, that is, before the establishment of the Xia Dynasty, cast copper appeared. Majiayao Cultural Site is located in dongxiang county, Gansu Province. The unearthed bronze knife was cast by Cai. However, the copper slag left by the casting artifacts was found in Wang Chenggang site in Dengcun, Henan, Pingliangtai site in Huaiyang and Longshan ancient city site in Haojiatai, Yancheng. The above findings are enough to show that Chinese bronzes first appeared more than 4,000 years ago. The influence of Chinese bronzes in the world is no less than that of the ancient Great Wall. Many scholars are interested in mastering the skills of bronze identification. It goes without saying that Chinese and foreign collectors want to get a real bronze. Why do Chinese bronzes attract so many collectors? It is really the unique charm of the object itself. As early as the Erlitou culture period in Xia Dynasty, bronzes had developed from casting simple tools and weapons to more complex Jue and bell. * * * The casting thickness is uniform, the pattern is simple, and the bronze technology has reached a certain level. The history of Shang and Zhou dynasties 1500 years is a brilliant period of Chinese bronzes. Bronzes in the early Shang Dynasty made remarkable progress in modeling design, decorative patterns and casting technology. At this time, the types of ritual vessels increased, the patterns of utensils were rough and powerful, and inscriptions appeared at the same time. The inscriptions of "Root" and "Jia Fu" appeared on bronzes handed down from Shang Dynasty, which is the earliest known bronze inscription in China. The late Shang Dynasty was the first peak in the development history of ancient bronzes in China, and the quality and quantity of bronze castings were developed and improved unprecedentedly. Types include ritual vessels, wine vessels, food vessels, water vessels, weapons, tools, musical instruments, miscellaneous vessels and so on. At this time, the bronzes were well-made and the side walls were thick, giving people a sense of dignity and solemnity. Colorful patterns and exquisite shapes show the magnificent, radiant and gorgeous style in the heyday of development. Not only is it deliberately pursued in decoration, but also relief decoration is widely used, which queues up the monotony of plane decoration and makes the casting modeling more vivid and lasting. At this time, there are not many artifacts with inscriptions, and there are only twenty or thirty castings with long inscriptions. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the types of bronzes changed little, the ornamentation was more complex, the carving was fine and the art was beautiful, but the utensils lacked some vitality. At this time, bronzes were carved into the wind, and long scrolls appeared constantly. The inscriptions on some bronzes are as long as 400 words, with strong fonts and smooth lines, which are rare in the world. After King Zhao of Zhou and Zhou Muwang, the types of bronzes increased slightly, such as hairpin, needle and bell. Exquisite, numerous fine products, such as Simuwu Fang Ding, Tiger Man-eating, Shuangyang Zun, Dakeding, Mao Gongding, Lotus Crane Fang Ding, Shuangxiong Sword, Goujian Sword, etc. For other kinds of bronzes, foundries accurately match copper and tin according to different hardness requirements, making the utensils of high quality, which is beyond the reach of foreign bronzes. Thirdly, the inscription on the objects can be said to be the biggest feature of Chinese bronzes. Most ancient bronzes in the world have no inscriptions, and only a few bronzes unearthed or cast in India have very short inscriptions. There are more than 10,000 ancient bronzes with inscriptions unearthed in China alone, among which there are many masterpieces with long articles, such as Mao Ming Wen, which is 497 words long. These inscriptions, either bold or vigorous, have high calligraphy appreciation value. These inscriptions are also the most difficult part of identification. Fourthly, Chinese bronzes, mainly containers, are also unique in the world bronze culture. As far as the world is concerned, from the Indus Valley to the Balkans, from Minoan civilization to Mycenae civilization, the representative works of its bronzes are mostly weapons, such as ge, spear, knife, arrow, sword, halberd, arrow, etc., while China mainly focuses on casting containers with difficult and complex patterns. These containers, especially tripods, are very important to the country. Its profound meaning and rich connotation, as well as the mystery intertwined with politics, have always been of interest to appraisers and collectors. In addition, European bronze culture is represented by weapons, while China bronze culture is represented by containers. It is not clear whether the former is radical and the latter is conservative. Bronze Tintin is one of the most important bronzes, used for cooking and storing meat. The three dynasties of Qin and Han dynasties lasted for more than two thousand years, and the tripod has always been the most common and mysterious ritual vessel. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of tripod: three-legged round tripod and four-legged Fang Ding, and they can be divided into two kinds: covered tripod and uncovered tripod. There is a group of ding, from big to small, in a row, called leding. The number of tripod stands for different status levels in the Zhou Dynasty. Tripod is usually singular. According to literature and archaeological findings, Jiuding should be a vassal, the seventh and fifth ding should be a great doctor, and the third and first ding should be a scholar. However, the system of the Emperor of Heaven is twelve ding, which is even, and the tomb of the Emperor of Zhou has not been seen so far, so whether this record is correct remains to be verified. Of course, Jiuding in the ranks does not represent Jiuding of the central government. About the origin and function of "Ding": Ding was originally an ancient cooking utensil, equivalent to the current pot, used to stew and hold fish. Xu Shen said in Shuo Wen Jie Zi: "Ding, three feet and two ears, the treasure of five flavors." There are three-legged tripod and four-legged Fang Ding. The earliest tripod was made of clay, and later there was a bronze tripod made of bronze. Legend has it that Yu Xia once collected the gold of nine animal husbandry and cast Jiuding under Jingshan Mountain to symbolize Kyushu, and carved fascinating figures on it to alert people and prevent them from being hurt. Since the legend of Zhu Yu's nine cauldrons came into being, the cauldron has developed from an ordinary cooker to a national heavyweight vessel. The country was destroyed, Ding moved, Xia dynasty was destroyed, Shang dynasty was prosperous, Jiuding moved to Beijing, and Shangdu. With the demise of Shang Dynasty, Zhou Chaoxing and Jiuding moved to Beijing. From Shang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty, "Dingding" was the capital or established a dynasty. Ding is regarded as a symbol of country, country and power, and the word "Ding" has also been given extended meanings such as "distinguished", "distinguished" and "grand", such as keeping the contract, becoming famous, and helping each other at its peak. Ding is also a ritual vessel for meritorious service. In the Zhou Dynasty, when the monarch or the princes and ministers celebrated or received awards, they had to cast a tripod to record this grand occasion. This custom still has some influence. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the people of China and People's Republic of China (PRC) presented the bronze tripod-Century Baoding to the United Nations on June 5438+0995, June 5438+1October 2 1. On the occasion of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation, the central government presented Xizang Autonomous Region with the "Baoding of National Unity" standing in the Great Hall of the People Square in Lhasa, symbolizing national unity and the vigorous development of various undertakings in Tibet. This move has far-reaching significance and rich cultural connotation. Ding is the representative of bronze culture in China. It is the witness of civilization and the carrier of culture. According to the legend of Zhu Yu Jiu Ding, it can be inferred that China had bronze smelting and casting technology as early as 4000 years ago; The bronze ding of Shang Dynasty unearthed underground proved conclusively that Shang Dynasty in China was a highly developed bronze age. The "Simuwu" Dafang Ding collected by China History Museum is a bronze tripod in the late Shang Dynasty. Rectangular, four legs, height 1.33cm, weight 875 kg. This is the largest bronze ware in Shang Dynasty. Ding belly has the word "Simuwe", which was cast by Shang Zhouwang as a sacrifice to his mother Wu. Da, Da and Mao He unearthed in the Qing Dynasty are all famous bronzes in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The inscriptions on bronze wares such as Ding recorded the laws and regulations of Shang and Zhou Dynasties and historical facts such as conferring titles, offering sacrifices and conquering. And handed down the seal script of the Western Zhou Dynasty to later generations, forming a bronze calligraphy art with high aesthetic value. Ding is therefore more valuable and becomes a more important historical relic than other bronzes. Li Zehou, an aesthetician, believes that Chinese bronzes, with the unique Ding as the core, are the most aesthetic works in the mature period of China bronze art, with heavy and solid objects, hideous and mysterious patterns and profound engravings, although the word Ding in modern Chinese characters has undergone many changes, such as Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, Xiao Zhuan and Li Shu. Up to now, it still retains the style and physical characteristics of "Ding", which is almost integrated with its characters and has rich cultural connotations.