Chapter 17 Section 2 The Splendor of Bronze Craft

During the Spring and Autumn Period, especially in the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, the scale and technology of the bronze smelting and casting industry had a new and huge development.First, the production of bronze has greatly increased.We have already introduced the Tonglushan mining and smelting site in Daye, Hubei. The combination of vertical shafts and side roads has been used for mining. Each copper smelting furnace has a daily output of more than 300 kg of copper.According to the remaining smelting slag, it is estimated that 80,000 to 120,000 tons of copper were smelted here.Based on this, it can be deduced that the national copper output at that time was very huge.

Secondly, Fan Zhufa has a new development.Bronze wares have thinner sidewalls and tend to be lighter. Excavated in 1959, the ruins of the copper casting workshop of the Southern Jin Dynasty in the ancient city of Houma Niu Village, Shanxi Province, covers an area of ​​200,000 square meters. Houses, copper melting furnaces, fan kilns, workplaces, wells, cellars, etc. were found, and pottery molds were unearthed. There are more than 50,000 pieces of pottery fans, including more than 100 supporting pieces, including tripods, pots, mirrors, bells, gongs, Ge, belt hooks, carts, and currency empty headcloths.Through the research, it is found that the pottery mold and the pottery mold are divided and assembled in multiple systems at this time, and the patterns on the outer mold are also printed continuously on the outer mold with a single pattern pottery mold, which not only makes the product standardized, but also greatly enhances the Increased labor productivity.Moreover, at this time, the sub-casting method has developed greatly.The separate casting method is to pre-cast the accessories of the utensils, such as ears, feet, handles, etc., and then embed them in the fan of the body, and finally cast the body so that the accessories and the body are cast together.Or cast the body first, and then cast the accessories on it.The separate casting method makes the casting of complex-shaped utensils easier, so it can produce utensils with complex structures, beautiful and vivid, and high artistic value.For example, the lotus crane square pot unearthed in Xinzheng, Henan Province is supported by two vertically carved beasts under the pot body, and four vertically carved beasts crawl on the side of the pot belly. A crane, making a long cry and fluttering its wings, looks like it is about to fly.The body of the vessel is also decorated with intertwined dragon patterns, which is extremely gorgeous and vivid, and is a typical representative of the split casting method.Furthermore, in addition to the separate casting method, the welding technology of welding accessories (ears, decorations, etc.)

Third, as we have already introduced, according to the research on the copper ban unearthed from Xichuanxia Temple in Henan Province, it shows that the lost wax casting technology has reached a very high level in the late Spring and Autumn Period.Then, the appearance of this kind of craftsmanship should have occurred in an earlier period, and it may have been produced in the early and middle Spring and Autumn Period.Moreover, the bronze Zun plate unearthed in 1978 from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in the early Warring States period in Suizhou, Hubei Province, consists of a Zun and a plate, with a height of 30.1 cm and a diameter of 25 cm;Put it on the plate.Both the rim of the statue and the plate have complex layers of hollowed-out pan-虺 [hui ruined] pattern attachments, which are also cast by the lost-wax method.This reflects that in the Warring States period, the lost wax casting process was still developing continuously.

Fourth, due to the emergence of hard steel tools in the late Spring and Autumn Period, the surface processing technology of bronze wares has been greatly developed.First of all, the gold and silver inlay technology has been greatly developed.This is to first cast or engrave concave patterns on the surface of the bronze, and then insert gold and silver wires or pieces, and smooth them with staggered stones.So it is also called gold and silver fault.This kind of craftsmanship is not only used for patterns, but also for inscriptions, especially in the weapons of southern Wu, Yue, Chu, Song and other countries, and it also has the effect of surface decoration.Followed by the embedded red copper process.The pattern made of red copper wire or sheet is to be embedded on the surface of the bronze ware, and then staggered.The above two techniques use the different colors of different metals to make the decorative pattern on the surface of the bronze ware break the limitation of single color in the past, and receive the gorgeous effect of red, yellow and white, which looks very rich and luxurious.In addition, there is a line engraving process.At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, in addition to cast bronze ware, bronze ware with thin bodies hammered with pure copper sheets appeared, such as copper ware, copper pots, copper mirrors and copper cups.Often, steel knives are used to carve hunting patterns, feast patterns, and water and land attack patterns on it. The lines are as thin as a hair, which is unique.