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.
[Edit this paragraph] The origin of bronze mirrors
Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors
The bronze mirrors of Shang Dynasty were round. The mirror surface is nearly flat or slightly convex, the mirror body is thin, and there is an arched bow (or bridge-shaped) button in the center of the back. The bronze mirror of the Western Zhou Dynasty is also round, with a straight or slightly convex body and a thin body. There are many kinds of mirror buckles, such as bow, semi-ring, rectangle and so on. It can also be divided into three categories: plain mirror, heavy ring mirror and bird and beast mirror.
At this time, the mirror is mainly plain, and the bronze mirror with patterns appeared in the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the later period, the pattern on the back of the mirror changed, and animal patterns appeared, breaking the traditional style.
Plain mirror: refers to a mirror with no decorative pattern on the back.
Heavy ring mirror: the mirror surface is slightly convex, with bow buttons on the back and heavy ring patterns.
Bird and beast mirror: the mirror body is straight, and there are two parallel bow buttons on the back. The top of the button is deer pattern and the bottom is winged bird pattern.
the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are the mature and great development period in the history of the development of ancient bronze mirrors in China, and the transitional stage of ancient bronze mirrors in China from naivety to maturity. It is also an important period for the bronze mirror casting center to shift from north to south.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze mirrors developed by leaps and bounds on the basis of three generations (Xia, Shang and Zhou). Both the casting process of bronze mirrors and the number of castings have greatly exceeded before.
In Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou dynasties, bronze mirrors were mostly plain without ornamentation, and those with ornamentation were mainly geometric patterns. By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the decorative patterns had reached 15, and various special decorative arts appeared, such as red ink painting patterns, gold and silver staggered patterns, and aerial carvings. The early crude bronze mirrors, created and decorated during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, have reached a beautiful state.
The styles of bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period not only inherited the tradition of bronze mirrors in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but also were diversified. For example, the mirrors were mainly plain mirrors, and the button system was not finalized. At the same time, there have been many important developments in bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period. It broke the circular format of bronze mirror and appeared a square mirror; In addition, the early bronze mirror patterns were only outlined with positive lines, and the composition was simple, with intricate patterns cast. Judging from the performance of decorative patterns, bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period have caught up with the development of bronzes, and decorative patterns have more characteristics of the times. This laid the foundation for the great development of bronze mirrors in the Warring States period.
Mid-late Spring and Autumn Period to early Warring States Period. The mirror types that appeared and became popular in this period are: plain mirror (all-plain mirror, single-ring mirror and double-ring convex-chord mirror), pure ground mirror (few square mirrors with ground patterns but no inscriptions), mosaic mirror, four-mountain mirror and multi-button mirror. Mirrors are mostly round and square. Generally, the material of the mirror body is thin and has many edges. The whole modeling rules give people a light and elegant feeling. The mirror button is mainly an arch button, but the top of the button is decorated with 1 to three convex strings, so it is also called "chord button". There is no pattern on the back of the mirror, except in the early stage. The decorative pattern is slender and has many ground patterns.
In the mid-Warring States period, there were many kinds of bronze mirrors. The decorative patterns of bronze mirrors have also changed. For example, the leaf mirror in the flower leaf mirror has changed from simple three leaves and four leaves to eight leaves, as well as Yun Leiwen petal mirror and mosaic mirror. The mountain characters of the Four Mountains Mirror are thinned from short to thin, and there are petal patterns, long leaf patterns and rope patterns between the mountain characters, which are quite complicated. There are also five mountain mirrors and six mountain mirrors. At this time, there are diamond mirrors, animal mirrors, flat mirrors, arc mirrors, gold and silver staggered mirrors, painted mirrors and so on.
From the late Warring States to the Qin Dynasty, there were no four-leaf flat mirrors, flat mirrors and three-layer cloud-thunder flat mirrors.
The Han Dynasty bronze mirror
Besides the mirrors of the Warring States period, the most popular bronze mirrors in Han Dynasty include: flat mirror, flat mirror, Cao Zhang mirror, nebula mirror, Lei Yun continuous arc mirror, bird and beast mirror, rearranged animal mirror, continuous arc inscription mirror, reunited inscription mirror, four-row animal mirror, multi-row animal mirror, deformed four-leaf mirror and animal mirror.
Han Dynasty is an important period for the development of bronze mirrors in China. Han mirrors are unearthed in the largest number and have a wide range of uses. Han mirrors are not only more in number than those in the Warring States period, but also have made great progress in production form and artistic expression. Judging from its development trend, it can be divided into three stages, and the important changes appeared in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the period of Wang Mang at the end of Western Han Dynasty and the middle period of Eastern Han Dynasty.
The early Western Han Dynasty was a period in which the mirror of Warring States and the mirror of Han Dynasty alternated. It was not until the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, around the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that some new mirrors became popular. These new mirrors have played a connecting role in the development of bronze mirrors in later generations.
Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Southern and Northern Dynasties
According to the data of bronze mirrors unearthed in archaeological excavations, the types of bronze mirrors in this period are as follows:
Animal mirror: rearranged animal mirror, surrounded animal mirror, animal mirror painted with Buddha.
Deformable four-leaf mirror: Deformable four-leaf driving phoenix mirror, Deformable four-leaf Buddha-bird-phoenix mirror, Deformable four-leaf beast head mirror, double rhombic mirror and auspicious beast mirror.
At this time, Qinglong, White Tiger, Suzaku, Xuanwu and God beast are combined into a decorative theme. At this time, the inscription is difficult to identify because of the text. Although some mirrors with inscriptions were found, they were rarely clearly identified.
Wu Jingzhong found the most inscriptions on the year number, including the year number of Sun Wu, such as Huanglong One Bird, Jianxing, Wufeng, Taiping, Shuian, Ganlu and Fenghuang. During the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were not many new mirror types, mainly following the Han mirror style. At this time, there are not many types of bronze mirrors, and the types are concentrated and there are few innovations. At this time, the mirror of the god beast spread the most widely. Among the deformable four-leaf mirrors, the deformable four-leaf mirror and the eight-phoenix mirror are the majority. Judging from the development history of bronze mirrors, this period is in a period of stagnation and decline.
Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties
The Tang Dynasty is another new historical period in the development history of bronze mirrors in China. Compared with the previous generation, the bronze mirrors of Sui and Tang Dynasties have made new progress. Adding tin to copper alloy makes the bronze mirror appear silver, which is both beautiful and applicable. In the shape of the bronze mirror, besides continuing to use the round and square of the previous generation, it also created a diamond-shaped and thicker grape mirror for birds and animals. And apply auspicious and happy pictures reflecting people's life and pursuit of ideals to the mirror, such as the moon palace, immortals, mountains and rivers and so on. And there are gold and silver mirrors and mother-of-pearl mirrors with novel themes, gorgeous patterns and exquisite details. This is the product of high artistic level in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which fully shows the characteristics of the tang dynasty bronze mirror.
The development of bronze mirrors in Sui and Tang Dynasties went through three stages. During the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the theme decoration of bronze mirrors was mainly auspicious animals, which was popular and was an important type in the development of Sui and Tang Dynasties. It not only inherits the tradition of ancient bronze mirrors in China, but also has new innovations. Ruishou Grape Mirror is an eye-catching mirror in the Tang Dynasty, which started the theme decoration of the mirror in the Tang Dynasty.
From Tang Gaozong to Tang Dezong, new forms, new themes and new styles appeared in bronze mirror decoration, which made bronze mirrors enter moderns.
From Tang Dezong to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, bird mirrors, flower mirrors and panlong mirrors were popular.
A major feature of the Tang Dynasty mirrors is the diversity of artistic styles or techniques. Bronze mirror art also presents a strong "prosperous Tang Dynasty" atmosphere.
Song, Liao, Jin and bronze mirrors
Before the Tang Dynasty, the bronze mirrors in China were mainly round, and few were square. After the Song Dynasty, in addition to inheriting the past round mirror, square mirror, sunflower mirror and rhombic mirror, sunflower mirror and rhombic mirror are the most common. Their edges are different from those of the Tang Dynasty, and some of them are straight, forming a hexagonal mirror. In addition, there are mirrors with handles, rectangles, chicken hearts, shields, bell-shaped ding and other styles. There are many flowers and plants,
There are bronze mirrors with decorative themes such as birds and beasts, mountains and rivers, bridges, terraces, and people's stories, as well as plain mirrors and narrow button mirrors without decorative patterns, all of which have a strong flavor of life. In addition, there are some immortals, character story mirrors and gossip mirrors.
Judging from the bronze mirrors of the Jin Dynasty unearthed from archaeological excavations in recent decades, their main body and ornamentation are also very rich. Although many of them are bronze mirrors imitating Han, Tang and Song dynasties, there are also some unique patterns. Common ones are double front mirrors, historical story mirrors and panlong.
Mirror, animal mirror, reading glasses, etc. The decorative patterns of bronze mirrors in the Jin Dynasty, one is to imitate the decorative patterns of bronze mirrors in the Han and Tang Dynasties; The second is to absorb the former model and create some new models. Pisces mirror and character story mirror are more common, especially Pisces mirror and boy climbing mirror.
Bronze mirror in yuan dynasty
Most of the bronze mirrors in the Yuan Dynasty were hexagonal flowers or sunflower-shaped, but the ornamentation gradually became rough. At this time, the bronze mirrors include peony bound mirror, fairy mirror, character story mirror, Shuanglong mirror, inscription mirror of "Shoushan Fuhai", plain mirror and four-year dragon mirror. In the Ming Dynasty, there were the Dragon Mirror in Hongwu period and the inscription mirror in Daming Xuande period, and the Dashun Three-year Mirror (inscription) created by Li Zicheng, the leader of the uprising in the late Ming Dynasty. After the Ming Dynasty, bronze mirrors were gradually replaced by glass mirrors.
Bronze mirrors after Yuan and Ming Dynasties
After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the output of bronze mirrors declined. In addition to the traditional style, Pisces, Ssangyong and figures, such as Liu Yi's biography, are relatively new styles. But at this time, the bronze mirror was roughly made, with only the inscription of the year and no ornamentation. During this period, especially in the Ming Dynasty, imitation of Han mirrors and imitation of Tang mirrors were very popular. Bronze-like mirrors are mostly Liubo mirrors in Han Dynasty and Ruishou grape mirrors in Tang Dynasty. Generally speaking, the imitation bronze mirror is small in size, and the decorative pattern is vague, losing its former elegance.
[Edit this paragraph] Appraisal of antique mirrors
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.
The era of mirror imitation
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.
Imitation technology
There are generally three methods to imitate mirrors, namely, directly turning over the model with the early mirrors, imitating the model with replicas, and splicing broken mirrors.
The first method is simple. The original mirror has clear inscriptions and smooth lines. However, although the mirror type is the same, the patterns and inscriptions are often vague and the lines are not smooth, which makes them look unremarkable. However, some Zhen Jing are not refined because of their age, and their inscriptions and ornamentation are also vague. 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.
There are at least two cases where the original mirror is used as a replica to imitate the mold. First, it is completely engraved on the model according to the pattern and inscription of the original mirror. Although the cast bronze mirrors have different shapes, the inscriptions and ornamentation are similar. 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.
There is also a splicing method of broken mirrors: pasting and repairing bronze mirrors. When unearthed, most of the bronze mirrors were broken or defective. The counterfeiters welded the fragments into a whole, and the defective parts were covered with copper rust. Where the mirror surface is not smooth but has green rust, it is a supplement.
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.
Bronze mirrors in different times have different characteristics and will be influenced by politics, economy, thought, culture and customs at that time. It is generally believed that imitation mirror has the characteristics of Zhen Jing, but it is not the product of that era after all, and it will inevitably show some characteristics of the era in which imitation mirror lives.
Characteristics of Mirror Imitation in Different Times
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. When copying the mold with the original mirror replica, the craftsmen at that time added some ornamentation and inscriptions. Generally speaking, although the added patterns and inscriptions are random in content and form, there is no clear law. However, judging from the contents added by many imitation mirrors, most of them have inscriptions, and 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 was flat, with a small area, which could be seen at a glance. However, sometimes, due to the complex and vague decorative patterns, it has not attracted attention, and even some important descriptions are wrong. The imitation mirror with added content is designated as the mirror of primitive times.
[Edit this paragraph] Bronze mirror identification
To distinguish the authenticity of bronze mirrors, we must first comprehensively understand the bronze mirrors of various eras from their nature, ornamentation 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, we can also distinguish the authenticity of bronze mirrors by listening to sounds, looking at shapes, identifying rust and smelling. 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.
In addition to sound discrimination, "looking at the shape" is also an aspect of distinguishing 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 real 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, put in water, there will be several situations, one is that it does not touch water, and the rusty place does not touch water, which is against the water, just like the feeling of lotus leaf touching 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 mentioned here is the soil smell after being unearthed.
Four methods to identify the authenticity of bronze mirrors
A kind of "listening"
Tap the bronze mirror with your hand, and distinguish the authenticity through the sound from 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. Old bronze mirrors generally have a deep and mellow voice. The newly imitated bronze mirror sounds crisp and even harsh.
Second, "look at the shape"
Observe the shape of the bronze mirror and distinguish the authenticity of the bronze mirror from the shape. In order to ensure the real 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.
Three "identify rust"
The rust on the new bronze mirror was made later. There are several situations when put in water. One situation is not to touch water. Rusty places don't touch water, but go against the water, just like the feeling of lotus leaves touching water.
Four kinds of "smells"
After soaking the bronze mirror in water, smell it with your nose. The newly copied bronze mirrors generally have the smell of sulfuric acid, alkali burning and copper. Old bronze mirrors generally have a copper smell, which is the earthy smell after being unearthed. I saw some identification methods in Bao Bo Mall, hoping to help the landlord. It feels really good to help others.
Look at the picture. It looks like the Tang Dynasty. It should be valuable.