How to identify bronzes

From the historical data, the basic situation of counterfeit goods is as follows:

First, the whole device is fake. For example, the "Shi Dui Gui" in the late Western Zhou Dynasty collected by Shanghai Museum was recast according to the original vessel, which is similar in size to the original vessel, but 260 grams heavier than the original vessel. So experienced people can feel it with their hands.

Second, some cultural relics are fakes. For example, a statue of "Father Yi Fu" of Shang Dynasty collected by Beijing Palace Museum is genuine, but the forger added a stream to its mouth and an ornament to its upper abdomen, which became an antique without this shape, neither fish nor fowl.

The third is to piece together the pieces of the real device to make a fake device. Although they are all bronze remnants of Shang dynasty, the whole piece should be a fake, because halogen has no shape of girder.

Fourth, the equipment is true and false. This includes two situations: first, the inscription is completely false. Inscriptions are either carved with knives or etched with chemicals. The content is either an imitation of the real inscription, a patchwork or a random fabrication. Because the plane parts of Ge and Jian are easy to forge, it is common to forge inscriptions on Ge and Jian. Second, in addition to the real inscription, add a fake inscription.

Fifth, the device is true and the pattern is false. That is to say, fake patterns are carved on real plain surfaces or noisy objects with few patterns. For example, the "Father Pot" of the Shang Dynasty in the Palace Museum in Beijing was originally a vegetarian pot in the Warring States period, and counterfeiters forged the animal face pattern of the Shang Dynasty on it.

Extended data:

Bronze ware, the abbreviation of bronze ware, is also called various bronzes. Bronze refers to vessels and utensils made of bronze as the basic raw material. Bronze, called gold or auspicious gold in ancient times, is an alloy of red copper and other chemical elements (tin, nickel, lead, phosphorus, etc.). ), its rust is turquoise, hence the name. The "bronze age" in history refers to the period when a large number of bronze tools and bronze ritual vessels were used.

China is the first civilization in the world to master the technology of brass smelting. The copper pieces and copper rings unearthed from Jiangzhai site were smelted, dating back to 6700 years. China also mastered bronze smelting earlier. At present, the earliest bronze smelting and casting in China is a bronze knife unearthed from Majiayao site in Gansu, which is 5000 years ago.

Bronze features:

Bronze ware is a copper-tin alloy with strong hardness, which is not as easily broken as tiles, Oracle Bone Inscriptions and calligraphy inscriptions, but it is convenient for long-term collection. Moreover, the bronze ware is simple and elegant in shape and smooth in lines, which is beyond the reach of other antiques.

First of all, Chinese bronzes are numerous and varied. No one can count how many bronzes there are in China. According to statistics, more than 10,000 bronzes with inscriptions have been unearthed since the Han Dynasty. If you add bronzes without inscriptions, the number can be imagined.

Due to the large number, Chinese bronzes are extremely rich in varieties, including not only wine vessels, water vessels, food vessels, weapons and ritual vessels, but also chariots and horses, farm tools, tools and various household appliances. Countless bronze vessels are vivid and colorful, which is dizzying. The large number and variety of Chinese bronzes undoubtedly increase the difficulty of identification, which is also one of the characteristics of Chinese bronzes.

Secondly, Chinese bronzes are widely distributed and of high quality. The area where Chinese bronzes were unearthed is the Central Plains, but its distribution far exceeds that of the Central Plains. Bronzes have been unearthed in Northeast China, Northwest China, Bashu, Lingnan, and even Tibet and Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea. These bronzes are vivid and exquisite, with different styles, showing their different artistic styles.

Bronzes in Shang and Zhou Dynasties in China are exquisitely made, with magnificent shapes, random decorative patterns, rich elegance and numerous fine products, such as Simuwu Fang Ding, Tiger Man-eating, Shuangyang Zun, Dakeding, Mao, Lotus Crane Square Pot, Shuangxiong Sword, Goujian Sword, Changxin Palace Lantern, Turquoise Lying Deer, bronze chariots and horses, etc., all of which are first-class, exquisitely cast and have the characteristics of shocking people.

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.

The four characteristics of Chinese bronzes are the basic knowledge that appraisers should know.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-bronze ware