The ancient mirror means big basin, which is called prison. Shuowen said: "The prison can take the water of the bright moon, so it is a mirror because it can go smoothly." At the beginning of the Three Dynasties, the prison was made of tile, so there was no gold beside the word prison in ancient times. In the early years of Shang dynasty, bronze swords were cast, and later the characters of the swords also had gold characters. In Shang and Zhou dynasties, although there were bronze mirrors, tile mirrors were still popular. It was not until the Qin Dynasty that bronze mirrors were cast. Because mirrors were better than mirrors in many aspects, water was no longer used as mirrors after the Qin Dynasty. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, mirrors were used more widely and made better. Its materials include gold, silver, copper, iron and so on. , with copper as the most, gold-plated silver, gold and silver on the back, or inlaid with gold and silver wires. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there have been various patterns with handles and squares. It was not until the late Ming Dynasty that glass was used as a mirror. After Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, glass became popular among the people. Until the early years of the Republic of China, a few remote areas still used copper as a mirror.

Mirrors are the oldest in the Qin and Wei Dynasties, but what has been handed down in Qin Jing so far is unearthed, and what has been handed down from generation to generation is gone. Because in ancient times, the dead were given with mirrors, that is, they were buried with mirrors, indicating that the times followed the trend, so most of the famous mirrors in ancient times were buried with them. However, the bronze of the ancient mirror is still good, and it will not lose its beautiful texture after being buried for many years. Therefore, after thousands of years, you can still see the great tools of the ancients. Although mirrors began in the Qin Dynasty. But the real Qin Jing is actually hard to get. Because the Qin dynasty was short in time, its products were limited, and the martyrdom was not better than that of later generations, most of the oldest mirrors obtained now were products of the Han dynasty. Mirrors in the Han dynasty were beautifully made, and many of them were inlaid with jewels. Most of the inscriptions are twelve Chen, which is probably a sign of self-encouragement. There are many imperial mirrors on the square, so the unearthed ancient mirrors are brightly painted, with bright patterns, even and flawless strokes and criss-crossing. Bronze mirrors in the Han dynasty all have inscriptions, which are auspicious statements, such as prosperity of the family, suitability of children and grandchildren, great wealth, great luck and so on. The names of mirrors are Sun Moon Mirror, Twelve Birthday Mirror, Fangshang Imperial Mirror, Exorcism Mirror, Immortal Mirror, God Man Mirror, Appropriate Official Mirror and so on. Probably with the inscription or name given by the author. Only when there was a transparent mirror in the Tang Dynasty, when facing the sun or lights, the words on the back of the mirror could be clearly mapped on the wall.

Throughout the development history of ancient bronze mirrors in China, since the bronze mirrors appeared in China 4,000 years ago, the bronze mirrors in each period have reflected its early stage (Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors), its popularization stage (bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period), its heyday (bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty), its middle decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties), its prosperity stage (bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties) and its decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries). Judging from its popularity, casting technology, artistic style and achievements, the Warring States, Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are the three most important development periods.

The origin of bronze mirrors is Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Anhui. Now they have been dug up everywhere, and only Bozhou, Anhui Province has been unearthed from time to time. So far, only five bronze mirrors unearthed in the Yin and Shang Dynasties have been found. A mirror has a bow on the back, decorated with padding and scale lines. The other four sides are round, the back of the mirror has an arched ring buckle, and the mirror body is decorated with lines or multiple rings of convex strings to make the mirror body nearly flat or slightly convex. Compared with bronze mirror decoration at this time, the mirror body has its own style. This style is also found in other artifacts unearthed at the same time. For example, the string pattern and nail pattern on the bronze mirror are also common in the bronze mirror of the Yin Dynasty.

There are fifteen bronze mirrors discovered so far in the Western Zhou Dynasty, all of which are round. The mirror surface is straight or slightly convex, the mirror body is thin, and the mirror buttons are olive-shaped, bow-shaped, semi-cup-shaped, rectangular and so on. It can be divided into three types: plain mirror, heavy ring mirror and bird and beast mirror. The Western Zhou Dynasty was dominated by flat mirrors. In the later period of this period, the decorative patterns on the back of the mirror changed, and new animal decorative patterns appeared, breaking the traditional style.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze mirrors prevailed and developed in China. The bronze mirrors in the Warring States period are characterized by light modeling, exquisite ornamentation and smooth lines, which swept away the naive and simple style of the previous bronze mirrors and showed a new look of bronze technology. At this time, the bronze mirrors are mostly round. Decorative patterns are expressed in various ways, such as bas-relief, high relief, gold and silver dislocation, stone inlay, painting and so on. Patterns often use the method of comparing the main pattern with the bottom pattern, and the bottom pattern of the main pattern is interesting. The pattern looks perfect and harmonious. According to the theme patterns of bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the types are classified. * * * is divided into the following categories:

1. Plane reflector: full plane reflector, chord plane reflector and wide chord plane reflector.

2. Pure ground mirrors: feather ground mirrors and cloud-thunder ground mirrors.

Mosaic mirror: Ye Wen mirror, petal mirror, mosaic mirror.

4. Mountain mirrors: three mountain mirrors, four mountain mirrors, five mountain mirrors and six mountain mirrors.

5. Diamond mirror: folding diamond mirror and continuous diamond mirror.

6. Animal mirrors: animal mirrors, phoenix mirrors and animal mirrors.

7. Enamel mirror.

Great progress has also been made in the production and artistic expression of bronze mirrors in the Western Han Dynasty. From the early Western Han Dynasty to the period of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty, the bronze mirrors gradually became thicker, and the cows were mostly hemispherical or persimmon-shaped. There are also new changes in the pattern layout and grain, and a four-point layout form with four breast nails as the main grain is prominent and the ground grain gradually disappears. The theme decoration is simple and the pattern structure is simple, which changes the rigorous and meticulous style of the Warring States period. From the late Western Han Dynasty to the middle Eastern Han Dynasty, the custom mirror became the most exquisite type, with four gods as the main decorative pattern and four gods, animals, birds, evil gods and feathers as the patterns, which were vivid and lively. The pattern layout broke through the ancient design of "heart symmetry" and a new style of "axis symmetry" appeared. In addition, the appearance of "lens" also brought great glory to the inscription mirror of Han Dynasty. The so-called transparent mirror refers to a bronze mirror that can reflect the decoration or inscription on the back of the mirror on the wall opposite the mirror when the mirror is facing sunlight or other light sources. In addition to continuing to use the Warring States mirror in the Han Dynasty, the most popular bronze mirrors are roughly as follows: 15:

1. Disk mirror types: winding disk mirror, spacer disk mirror and regular disk mirror.

2, plane mirror: square four-sided mirror, even curved plane mirror.

3, grass mirror: four-breasted grass mirror, regular grass mirror.

4. Nebula mirror.

5, even the arc mirror.

6. Re-circle the inscription mirror.

7. Four-breasted beast tattoo mirror.

8. Orthographic types: Four Gods Orthographic, Bird Orthographic, Geometric Orthographic, which simplifies the orthographic.

9, multi-breasted animal tattoo mirror.

10, connecting arc mirror.

1 1, deformed four-leaf tattoo mirror.

12, animal mirror: rearrange the animal mirror and surround the animal mirror.

13. Portrait mirror: historical figures, gods, chariots and horses, four gods, birds.

14, Kuifeng mirror

15, dragon and tiger tattoo mirror; Dragon-tiger confrontation mirror, panlong mirror.

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to frequent wars and social unrest, the bronze mirror manufacturing industry in China entered a period of decline. The style of this period still follows the Han mirror, and the triangular animal mirror is the most popular. Bronze mirror ornamentation is often based on folk stories. In addition, there are patterns of Buddha statues, which is also a remarkable feature of bronze mirrors in this period.

The Sui and Tang Dynasties were a very prosperous period of feudal society in China. It ended the separatist situation of more than 300 years and achieved reunification; It absorbs the culture of overflowing brothers and blends into one. Bronze mirror technology has a strong sense of the times. Like the whole culture, it not only reached an unprecedented peak in casting technology, but also made unprecedented achievements in decorative arts. The alloy proportion of tin and silver (about 40%) is increased in the process, which makes the mirror surface look particularly bright and clean, with white luster and clear reflection. The shape is heavy, exquisite and delicate, with different shapes, such as sunflower, diamond, square, hexagon, octagon and Asian shape. The decoration is free and lively, generous and beautiful, and tends to be secular. It embodies the aesthetic concept of auspiciousness, wealth and longing for the fairy mountain Qiongge. There are phoenix, swan, mandarin duck, magpie, rare birds, lions, Tianma, white deer, Yunlong, sea animals, peony, lotus, grapes, bouquets and other rare birds and animals, as well as the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon and Wang Zijin playing flutes to attract the wind, immortals and the Moon Palace. The Five Dynasties after the Tang Dynasty only lasted for half a century, which can be said to be the legacy of the Tang Dynasty in art. At this time, few new mirrors came out, and many people used Tang mirrors, even if they were cast, they could not see their characteristics.

Great progress has been made in economy and science and technology in Song Dynasty, which is reflected in another climax of bronze mirror technology development. However, due to the limited copper production, the strict prohibition of copper in Song Dynasty and the large amount of bronze mirrors, the mirror casting in Song Dynasty was thin and the alloy technology could not keep up with that in Tang Dynasty. However, its progress is mainly manifested in the decorative arts. Of course, decorative art is also closely related to aesthetics. After the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the secular landlord class and the scholar-bureaucrat class in the Song Dynasty turned their aesthetics to the nature of landscape flowers and birds, which was the main reason for the erection of landscape flowers and birds paintings in the Song Dynasty. This aesthetic interest is naturally reflected in the decorative art of bronze mirrors. Therefore, most of the decorative themes we see in Song Jing are lush flowers, birds, animals, fish and insects, terraced fields, people with flowing bridges and "hermits" intoxicated with natural beauty. These themes are often expressed in exquisite reliefs, pursuing real aesthetic feeling, without mysterious atmosphere, just like shots recorded from social life or nature, or pictures drawn by painters. This decoration is a major turning point in the history of China bronze mirror art, showing a strong sense of the times. We can also see the characteristics of the Song mirror, with various shapes, especially those with handles. Some mirrors are cast with marks, mirror casting workshops, year and month, names and records of state and county prosecutors, which shows that there are not only government-run mirror casting workshops, but also many folk mirror casting workshops in Song Dynasty. The bronze mirrors in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties followed the style of the Song mirror, and instead of developing, they tended to decline, which can be said to be the end of the history of bronze mirrors in China. In particular, the bronze mirror decoration in the Ming Dynasty is very rough, and the circular pattern centered on buttons is transformed into a profound picture by the relationship between up and down. In addition to the plane high relief of the characters in some pavilions, a large number of themes are plain cast characters, such as "Long life and wealth" and "Fulu is true". After the mid-Ming Dynasty, due to the extensive use of glass, bronze mirrors lost their practical value and were generally used to ward off evil spirits, so they were called "playing mirrors", and their artistic value could not be discussed. Antique counterfeit

To identify antique mirrors, we must first understand the types and times of imitation mirrors, especially the characteristics and laws of imitation mirrors in different times.

Mirror imitation era The so-called mirror imitation era includes two aspects. First, when did we start making antique mirrors in China? Second, which era mirrors are imitated in mirror imitation?

One view is that antique bronze mirrors began in the Tang Dynasty, and after the Song Dynasty, antique mirrors prevailed in court and folk, and all kinds of mirrors were copied. One view is that the antique mirror began in the Song Dynasty, but it did not imitate the Han mirror in the Tang Dynasty, and the imitation of the Han mirror began in the Song Dynasty. There is also a view that there is no imitation mirror in the Song Dynasty, and many imitation mirrors in the Song Dynasty are actually imitation mirrors in the Ming Dynasty.

Judging from the era of mirror image imitation, there are different opinions and no one can agree. It can be seen that the research and identification of imitation mirrors is an urgent task for the vast number of cultural relics archaeologists, because it involves identification, collection, purchase and sale, etc., and must be done with caution.

Imitation technology

As far as we know, mirror image imitation is nothing more than three methods, that is, using the early mirror image to directly flip the mold; Imitate molding and broken mirror splicing with copies. The first method is simple, easy to make, easy to identify, easier said than done. Because the pattern and inscription of the original mirror are clear and the lines are smooth, the mirror that is turned over directly, although the mirror type is the same, is often blurred and the lines are not smooth and dull. At first glance, it feels different and easy to recognize. However, there are some Zhen Jing, because of their age, poor production, vague inscriptions and ornamentation, and some imitation mirrors are also very good. It is not easy to determine imitation mirrors only by these standards. In the case of the same mirror type, decoration and inscription, we should also pay attention to the copper and heavy body of the bronze mirror.

Using the original image as a copy of the model is more complicated. There are at least two situations. First, the bronze mirror is completely engraved on the model according to the pattern and inscription of the original mirror. Although the types of cast bronze mirrors are different, the inscriptions and ornamentation are similar, and it is necessary to compare them to determine whether they are copied or not. Second, although the original mirror was copied, the sculptor added decorative patterns and inscriptions, and some decorative patterns of the cast mirror did not match the inscription era, such as the Ming Dynasty mirror with common inscriptions; Some shapes and decorations are different. As long as you are familiar with China bronze mirrors, you can easily identify them.

There is also a splicing method of broken mirrors: pasting and repairing bronze mirrors. When the bronze mirror was dug out of the ground, none of the complete 100 bronze mirrors was damaged or defective. The counterfeiters welded and glued the damaged parts into a whole, and the defective parts were repaired with copper rust. All the bronze mirrors on the market are covered with green rust where the mirror surface is not smooth. But the mirror is really an antique mirror.

Types of mirror imitation

There are different kinds of imitation mirrors in different times. Even the same type of mirror, the imitation of different times also has its own emphasis. Imitation mirror in Tang dynasty: was there imitation mirror in Tang dynasty? There are still different views. Imitation mirror in Song Dynasty: Some people think that there is no imitation mirror in Song Dynasty, while others think that there is imitation mirror in Song Dynasty, but it is mainly imitation mirror in Tang Dynasty. According to the information we have seen so far, the Song Dynasty did imitate the bronze mirrors of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Imitation Chinese mirror: sunlight mirror, mirror, innocent mirror, portrait mirror, positive mirror, dragon and tiger mirror. Mirror imitation in Jin Dynasty: The Jin Dynasty mainly imitated the patterns of mirrors in Han, Tang and Song Dynasties. Imitation mirror: nebula mirror, four-breasted "home and wealth" mirror, sunlight mirror, mirror, positive mirror, four-beast mirror, portrait mirror, innocent mirror, dragon and tiger mirror. Imitation Tang mirror: the most are sea animals and grape mirrors. Imitation Song Mirror: Flower Mirror, Eight Diagrams Mirror, Huzhou No Mirror. Imitation of mirrors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China: Antique was very popular, and mirrors in various periods were imitated by the imperial court and the people. Mirror imitating the Warring States Period: Sunlight Mirror, Zhaomingjing Mirror, Orthographic Mirror, Panlong Mirror, Dragon and Tiger Mirror, Twin Peaks Mirror, Portrait Mirror and Panlong Mirror. Imitation Tang mirror: marine animal grape mirror, flower-and-bird mirror, curved animal mirror. Imitation Song Golden Mirror: Story Mirror, Huzhou Mirror, Pisces Mirror, Inscription Mirror.

Judging from the types of imitation mirrors in the above period, the inscription mirrors such as Rizhao and Zhaoming in the Han Dynasty, the regular mirror, portrait mirror, dragon and tiger mirror, sea animal grape mirror and Swiss animal flower and bird mirror in the Tang Dynasty, Huzhou mirror and Bagua mirror in the Song Dynasty are important imitation mirrors for later generations. Among them, the sunshine and mirror of the Han Dynasty were almost imitated by all previous dynasties. The definition of imitation mirror in each era undoubtedly draws a key range for distinguishing imitation mirror.

In different times, bronze mirrors have different characteristics and will be influenced by politics, economy, thought, culture and customs at that time. Zhen Jing is like this. What about the imitation mirror? We believe that imitation mirror has the characteristics of Zhen Jing, but it is not the product of that era after all, and it will inevitably reveal some characteristics of the era in which imitation mirror lives. It is extremely important to summarize the characteristics of mirror imitation in different times.

Characteristics of Mirror Imitation in Different Times

To master the characteristics of imitation mirrors in different times, the most important thing is to understand the characteristics of bronze mirrors in different times, that is, shape, decoration, inscription, copper and so on. These have already been said and need not be repeated. Several important features need to be emphasized here.

Copper is different. Because after the Song Dynasty, the composition of bronze mirror alloy in China changed obviously, the content of tin decreased obviously, the content of lead increased, and the proportion of zinc also increased. So the copper and color have changed. This should be an important aspect that distinguishes antique mirrors from Zhen Jing. The texture of imitation Song mirror is not as good as that of Han and Tang mirrors. Soft brass color, flashing red in yellow. Generally, the imitation gold mirror is slightly yellow than the imitation bronze mirror in Song Dynasty. Although the imitation mirror in Ming and Qing dynasties was made of brass, it was yellow in the Ming dynasty and yellow in the Qing dynasty.

The appearance is different. The change of alloy composition and the difference of texture and color will inevitably affect the quality of bronze mirrors. The bronze mirrors of Song and Jin Dynasties are rough, with vague patterns and extensive lines, which are plain and unremarkable. The mirror-like ornamentation in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was far less exquisite than that in the Han and Tang Dynasties, but it was as beautiful as a mirror in the Song Dynasty, which was related to the slow down of tin content and the substantial increase of zinc content in the mirror-like ornamentation in the Sun, Moon, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Of course, imitation mirrors in Ming and Qing dynasties are also very good.

Different shapes. Although bronze mirrors are generally small, the back area of the mirror is small, but in this small world, artisans in the past dynasties have made great changes in various aspects such as ornamentation, inscriptions, modeling, bands, edges, buttons, button seats and so on. Comparing the characteristics of different parts in different periods and mastering even minor changes is an important aspect to distinguish Zhen Jing from imitation mirror. Just a few examples: Tang Ling's flower-shaped and sunflower-shaped mirrors were imitated in the Song Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, these mirrors were all in the shape of going in and out, but in the Song Dynasty, there were more than six shapes, even eight shapes, and the curvature of the arc edge in the Tang and Song Dynasties was not the same.

In the imitation mirror of the Jin Dynasty, no matter which dynasty, it can be imitated. If there are lettering and paintings inspected by the government, it is easy to distinguish them.

The mirror edge in Ming and Qing dynasties was straight and angular. The buttons are completely different. There were many silver buttons in the Ming Dynasty. The buttons in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were flat, and the area was much larger than that in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. There were also many inscriptions cast on the flat top.

Add content. As mentioned earlier, when the mirror replica was used for mold modeling, the craftsmen at that time added some decorations and inscriptions. From some information we have seen, the added patterns and inscriptions are random in content and form, but from the added contents of many imitation mirrors, the added inscriptions account for the vast majority. Most of these inscriptions are the names of mirror casting workshops, shops and craftsmen, and very few should be the names of bronze mirror users.

Judging from the location of the inscription, there are roughly several different situations, depending on the decorative content of the original mirror. The original mirror only had patterns without inscriptions, and the inscriptions were mostly in one or two places of the patterns, which suppressed some of the original patterns. The original mirror has decorative patterns in the inner area and inscriptions in the outer area, and some added pictures and texts are placed in the decorative patterns. If the original mirror has no ornamentation but only inscriptions, if it is a single-ring mirror with inscriptions, additional inscriptions will be added to the original inscription ring, and if it is a double-ring mirror with inscriptions, additional inscriptions will generally be added to the outer ring inscription.

Roughly supplemented inscriptions are: Gong, Chen, Sun, Shui, Cao, Li, Lu, Zhao, Ma, Qijia, Cao Pu, Lu Zao, Lu Zao, Zhang Zao, Li Taishan Zao, Li Pu Bronze, Pretending to be a pig and dog, Qijiadai Bronze and Xie Shaotang.

Some of these additions are very obvious, while others are relatively hidden. Originally, the mirror is a small plane, which can be seen at a glance. However, sometimes due to the complex and vague ornamentation, it is not taken seriously, and even some important records are wrong. The imitation mirror with added content is designated as the mirror of primitive times. In recent years, collectors have paid more and more attention to the collection of bronze mirrors, and counterfeit bronze mirrors have begun to appear. Because the bronze mirrors cast in different times have the characteristics of different times, collectors should first fully understand the bronze mirrors of different times from their nature, decoration and content. The ancient bronze mirrors handed down today are all unearthed cultural relics. The so-called unearthed cultural relics do not refer to the wandering places in the famine and war, but generally the things sacrificed in the tombs. In ancient times, mercury must be used in tombs, so today's bronze mirrors must be stained with mercury. However, due to the advantages and disadvantages of copper and the strength of mercury, its mercury is also different, including silver and lead. The bronze mirror is crystal clear, and there is mercury pollution first. Long-term filling of mercury, eternal bright white, called silver back; If it is stained with blood first and then invaded by mercury, its copper network is like lead, which is called lead back. There is also a pile of semi-mercury and semi-turquoise cinnabar, which is rotted with flesh and blood first, turned into turquoise for a long time, and semi-clean stained with mercury, so the back of a mirror is mixed with two colors. At present, the top grade of bronze mirror is silver back, followed by lead back and turquoise. If the lead back is buried for several years, it becomes pure black, which is called black paint back. This price is particularly high, but this color is also easy to counterfeit.

On this basis, collectors can also distinguish the authenticity of bronze mirrors by listening to sounds, looking at shapes, distinguishing rust and smelling incense. Listening to the sound is knocking on the bronze mirror, and distinguishing the authenticity through the sound made by the bronze mirror. Because the proportion of raw materials such as copper, tin and lead is different when the old and new bronze mirrors are made, the sound they make is also different.

The new bronze mirror is quite different from the old one in sound. Old bronze mirrors generally have a deep and mellow voice. The newly imitated bronze mirror sounds crisp and even harsh. For example, this is a new bronze mirror. If we knock it, it must be very clear. An old bronze mirror like this has a different sound, because its structure is different, and its sound is more stable and different.

In addition to sound identification, "looking at the shape" is also a trick to identify bronze mirrors. "Look at the shape" is to study the shape of the bronze mirror and distinguish the authenticity of the bronze mirror from the shape. In order to ensure the true and clear effect of bronze mirrors, when the ancients cast bronze mirrors, the size and radian of the mirrors were strictly proportional. Generally speaking, a smaller bronze mirror can see a relatively gentle curvature, and a bronze mirror over 20 cm is basically flat, and no obvious curvature fluctuation can be seen. However, the radian of the newly imitated bronze mirror is generally out of proportion to the size of the mirror. The arc of the big bronze mirror is very large, and the arc contraction of the small bronze mirror is unnatural. Therefore, the people and scenery reflected by the imitation bronze mirror are often unclear or even deformed. In addition to "looking at the shape", we can also distinguish the authenticity of a bronze mirror by distinguishing the rust and the taste of copper.

In terms of rust, the new imitation bronze mirror, its rust is made in the later stage. Take some chemical action, or scrape off the rust on some old bronzes, stick them together and stick them on them, and they can be distinguished by water. Imitation bronze mirror, you put it in water, there will be several situations, one is that it does not touch water, where there is rust, it does not touch water, it is against the water, just like lotus leaves touch water. The newly copied bronze mirror has several tastes after being dipped in water, one is sulfuric acid; One is the smell, the smell of alkali burning; There is also a copper smell. Even the bronze mirror made in Lian Gang has a copper smell. Old bronze mirrors generally have a copper smell, and the copper smell we are talking about is the soil smell after being unearthed. From the perspective of development, the bronze mirrors in the bronze collection can not be ignored. Ancient bronze mirrors are exquisitely made and have high research value, ornamental value and artistic value. Bronze mirrors are the most famous in the Warring States, Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. The collection of bronze mirrors is far less popular than stamp collecting, ancient coins, paper money and foreign currency, and even fewer people specialize in collecting bronze mirrors. However, from the perspective of economic value and ornamental value, collecting bronze mirrors is still worth investing. At present, there are favorable conditions for collecting bronze mirrors. Because there are few collectors, the price is not very high, and there are not many bronze mirrors in flea markets in recent years. Although the market is full of shoddy replicas recently, bronze mirrors handed down from generation to generation and unearthed are also common. At present, the price of bronze mirrors in national cultural relics shops is relatively high. Most of the good-quality Han mirrors range from 1000 yuan to 800 yuan, and those with poor quality are also rewarded to 600 yuan. There are more than a dozen bronze mirrors in the coin shop, all of which cost more than a few hundred yuan.

Although the price of bronze mirrors is high, the transaction price is not high: the average China mirror is between 100 and 200 yuan; Most of the figure mirrors in Song and Jin Dynasties were below 200 yuan. The flat mirror in Song Dynasty only costs tens of yuan; The price of bronze mirrors in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties is lower. Its asking price is generally several times or even ten times higher than the actual price, but most of the mirrors that can be sold in RMB now cost several thousand yuan. Some special styles and products can be sold for about 2500 yuan.

Of course, collecting bronze mirrors also has disadvantages. First, because there are few people who collect bronze mirrors, the market has not formed a fixed price. The same bronze mirror, 200 yuan is it, 300 yuan is it. Secondly, up to now, bronze mirrors are often used as standard devices in archaeology. Because bronze mirrors are studied as a part of archaeology, they have not become an independent science like coins, so there are no specialized academic groups and independent bronze mirror collection organizations. Thirdly, there are few monographs, reference books and bronze mirror patterns on bronze mirrors, which also bring inconvenience to collectors.

As a historical relic, bronze mirrors not only have artistic value and ornamental value, but also have considerable economic value. A collector 10 years ago collected 20 bronze mirrors. At that time, on average, 20 of them went to 30 yuan. Now, on average, 100 yuan. Two years ago, you could buy a personal objective lens for 70 or 80 yuan, but now it costs about 150 yuan. Therefore, collecting bronze mirrors is an excellent economic investment and knowledge investment. Recently, many people began to collect bronze mirrors, ranging from a few faces to dozens and hundreds.