The bronze craft starting three millennia ago , is a gem in the history of arts and craft in China and the world . It reached a high level in the ancient slave society already and developed further in the feudal society .
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin , sometimes also with a little lead based on special needs . This alloy was used to make bronze articles in ancient China . Bronze articles for different uses were made with alloys in different proportions . In the “Records of Crafts” compiled in the fifth century B.C. was a statement on how to smelt the bronze alloy . The bronze alloy had the advantages of high hardness and low melting point . The tine ingredient of it enabled the alloy to generate bright sheens and colors , and to have fine patterns cast on it .
In processing the bronze articles , the slave craftsmen displayed their creative talent . They mastered he technologies of mining . ore dressing , die making and casting , and cast intricate vessels , even vessels with images of birds and animals , accurately and vividly . For instance , “the Cross-Apertures Square Wine Vessel!” kept in the Palace Museum . It was made in the Shang Dynasty . Although its form was not practical , yet its casting technique was excellent . Apertures were made on the four sides of the vessel and a moveable handle was made on the shoulders of the vessel .
For another instance , the big “Simuwu Quadripod” of the Shang Dynasty . It measured 110 cm x 137 cm, weighing 875 kilograms . According to the level of technology in that time , a crucible could smelt no more than 12.5 kilograms of copper one time . Consequently the 857-kilogram quadripod required the simultaneous operation of 70—80 crucible furnaces to fill the mould at one instant , otherwise fissures would occur . That means a host of 100-200 skilled slave workers should have been working at the same place ( not counting the auxiliary laborers) . What a grand scale!
The decorative patterns impressed on bronze objects might be categorize into three kinds : One kind consisted of geometrical graphics with dots , lines , circles , squares and triangles , such as the string , cloud-thunder and sliding thread patterns . Another kind consisted of figures of animals , sometimes abstract or deformed , in the shapes of ox , sheep , elephant , tiger , horse , bird , crow , snake , silkworm , cicada , etc . Yet another kind consisted of figures of bizarre , imaginative animals , such as the “taotie” design , the “kui” design and the dragon design , which the ancient Chinese though to have a “savage beauty” (as quoted from li Zehou , a contemporary Chinese aesthetician) , symbolizing auspiciousness , “coordination of Heaven and Earth ,” and a mystic power .
The decorative pattern covered generally the whole-body of the vessel . There were also three-layered patterns (base , prime and overlapped patterns) . Often , a prime pattern was combined with a base pattern , e.g. , the prime “taotie” pattern combined with the base cloud and thunder pattern , to achieve a primary-secondary effect . There were also patterns with connected designs to achieve a rhythmetic effect , or with symmetrical designs to achieve a steady effect : At the same time , decorative reliefs were extensively employed in harmony with the three-dimension forms of the vessels to achieve a vivid effect .
. In later periods , new decorative means were used in the bronze craft , such as the gold-silver filigree marquetry and gilding . With regard to the gold-silver filigree , grooves were chiseled on the bronze surface before gold or silver threads were inlaid , producing a brilliant , colorful effect . This means was also employed in other handiwork . The gold filigree “kui” pattern stemmed copper bowl unearthed from a Warring States tomb in Changzhi city of Shanxi province is an example of this . Gilded articles were often in use in the Han Dynasty : The “Gilded Copper Lantern of Changxin Palace” and the gilded copper jar excavated from Mancheng County of Hebei province serve both as examples .
In different periods the styles of Chinese bronze objects were different . The bronze objects in the early ancient period were heavy and dignified . The bronze objects in the middle period were practical and simple . In the late period , besides the practical and simple ones , these were also graceful and intricate bronze objects . One example of these was the “Xi” wine vessel unearthed in Hunyuan county of Shanxi province , which was refined and elegant .
Compared with bronze articles in other parts of the world , inscriptions were a special characteristic of the Chinese bronze articles . Such inscriptions are also called “bronze script” of “tripod script” , and occupy an important place in the history of Chinese calligraphy . It was close to tortoise shell script” , and was the forerunner of the seal script , official script and regular script . All the inscriptions were calligraphically masterpieces , with clear patterns and elegant strokes . Someone considered that the 499-character inscription on “Lord Mao Tripod” was comparable to the “Book of History” , that the 357-character inscription on “San Bowl” of the Western Zhou period was the earliest Chinese diplomatic document , and that the 284-character inscription on “Shi Jiang Bowl” of the reign of King Gong was a narrative poem on the history of the Wei family .
