中国古代青铜器失蜡法铸造之辩论

Debating the Use of Lost-Wax Casting in Ancient China

本文综述了20世纪初中国青铜铸造技术研究的历史,解释了失蜡法和陶范法的技术要点。主要讨论了四件古代青铜器:曾侯乙尊、大都会艺术博物馆藏香炉、佛利尔美术馆与赛克勒美术馆藏青铜装饰件和大都会艺术博物馆藏铜敦的可能铸造成型技术。这四件青铜器帮助我们明确了为什么学者们很难就它们的铸造技术达成一致。除了曾侯乙尊外,作者用分析方法重新直接检视了其他三件器物。采用双目显微镜观察,X射线照片揭示内部结构,X射线荧光分析特定部位的元素。然而,其中一些器物使用的铸造技术仍存在疑问,可以确定美国大都会艺术博物馆馆藏香炉是用陶范法铸造的,香炉半球的四分之一数码照片显示了半球的每个四等分是用相同范制作的。本文提供的方法与信息可用来检视那些铸造技术存在疑问的青铜器。此外,作者鼓励使用更多的技术研究战国以降的青铜器,增进我们对中国古代文化和知识的理解。

This paper presents a summary of the history of Chinese bronze technical studies beginning in the 20^(th)century,followed by a general explanation of lost-wax casting and piece-mold casting methods.Then a detailed examination of four ancient bronzes is provided:zun from Zenghouyi,Metropolitan Museum of Art incense burner,Freer and Sackler Galleries finial,and Metropolitan Museum of Art dui.On-going debates continue today about how each of these was cast.These four bronzes help clarify the issues of why it is so difficult for scholars to agree on their casting techniques.Analytical methods provided new insight for each object except for the zun that was not available for examination by the author.The author studied the other three objects visually using the binocular microscope,revealed internal structures by X-ray radiography,and carried out elemental analysis of selected locations by X-ray fluorescence.While questions still remain on the techniques used to cast some of them,it became clear that the Metropolitan Museum of Art incense burner was made by piecemold casting.Photographic overlays of quarter sections provide evidence that each quarter of the hemisphere was made from the same mold.The methods and information provided here should be used to re-examine other bronzes whose casting techniques are questioned.Furthermore,the author encourages more technical studies of later bronzes to expand our knowledge of ancient Chinese culture.