Dangyang Iron Tower——Corrosion-resistant cast iron casting

Made in 1061 A.D.(North Song Dynasty)Height:17.9m,weight:53.3tThe Dangyang Tower,located outside of the Yuanquan temple in Dangyang county of Hubei province,is the tallest ancient iron tower in China.On the base,there are sculptures of eight Herculean men supporting

The Mirror with Patterns of Auspicious Animals and Grapes——Exquisite cast mirror and the technology of surface tin-enrichment by rubbing-in and infiltration of tin-rich powder

Bronze mirrors were used by the Chinese people before the introduction of the glass mirror.Only after it was replaced by the glass mirror did the bronze mirror gradually retreat from people's lives.Different styles of bronze mirrors were made in different historical periods,particularly in the Warring States Period,the Han and Tang Dynasties,which were the three peaks of the development of bronze mirror arts in ancient China.The casting techniques were exquisite.The surface of the bronze mirror was smooth and bright enough to reflect one's image,and there were scarcely any casting defects on the mirror surface.On the back of the bronze mirror,there were rich depictions of Arts and Humanities,and the ornamentations were

Mirror with inscription of "Wu Zi Deng Ke" ——The technology of tin enrichment on the surface of copper ware by liquid penetration

Ming Dynasty(1368 A.D.-1644 A.D.)Diameter:10.5 cm,weight:140 g Brass'Wu Zi Deng Ke',(five sons passed the imperial examinations),is an ancient story in China,telling that all five sons of one family passed the examinations and became the Jinshi,a type of degree conferred by the ancient Chinese Imperial Examination System.This auspicious expression was commonly observed on bronze mirrors of the Ming Dynasty,

Double Color Sword——Composite bronze technology of 2500 years ago

The Warring States Period(475 B.C.-221 B.C.)Total length:53.5cm,weight:745g BronzeIn the chapter The Record of Trades(Kao Gong Ji)'from the ancient Chinese book called The Rites of Zhou'written 2500 years ago,it was recorded that there were six kinds of metals.Depending on the performance requirements,different bronzes with varied ratios of

The Spear of King Fuchai of Wu State—Surface alloying technology of 2,500 years ago

Wu State(495 B.C.-473 B.C.)Bronze Length:29.5 cm Most bronze weapons held by the nobility 2,500 years ago were decorated luxuriously.This spear belonged to King Fuchai of Wu State.Since the body of the bronze spear(containing approx.19%tin)was long buried in the grave,it was eroded by the humic acid solution there.In the black lines of the rhombic patterns on the surface of the spear,the copper-rich a-phase in the

Bronze Pot Engraved with Patterns of Banquet,Musical Performance,Fishing,Hunting and Battle——The technique of engraving on the bronze surface

The Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.) Height: 31.3 cm Bronze Preserved in the Palace Museum Before the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C. ——475 B.C.), the pattern decorations and inscriptions of Chinese bronze wares all were made by casting. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the industry of smelting iron sprung up. With the emergence of iron and steel

Grille-style inlaid square mirror with precise patterns—Decoration techniques remain a mystery after 2000 years

Origin:The Warring States Period(475 BC-221 BC)Length:18.5 cm,width:18.5 cm Weight:929 g Composition:Tin bronzeThis fascinating piece of metal work is more than an historical artifact—the techniques used to create it are a mystery in this modern age!The front surface of the square mirror and its frame were cast separately.The front reflective surface is 2 mm thick,and

Houma clay mould—the exquisite foundry mould

Origin:Late period of Jin State(585 B.C.to 369 B.C.)Be argillaceous and baked at low temperature Length:17.2 cm,width:6 cm Source:Excavated from the casting copper site of the Jin State in Houma City,Shanxi ProvinceHouma was the capital of the Jin State in the Spring and Autumn Period.In today's China,the casting copper site in Houma

Xuande Incense Burner—Superior surface coloring technology on copperware

Casting from the third year of the reign of Emperor Xuande(1428),Ming Dynasty Total length:10.6 cm,weight:1.78 kg BrassIn the third year of the reign of Emperor Xuande,Ming Dynasty,the Emperor ordered the

Abridged Armilla-Large lost-wax castings from the 15th century

Origin:the second year of Zhengtong Emperor,Ming Dynasty(1437 AD)Cast bronze Length:approx.4.4 m;width:approx.2.97 m;total height:approx.3.4 m;weight:about 16 tonsThis magnificent metallic astronomical instrument,which is China's largest existing ancient instrument measuring celestial positions,was made by Huangfu Zhonghe,

The ancient Chinese casting techniques

In the course of Chinese civilization,which lasted more than 5,000 years,casting production has made a huge contribution.In this paper,some representative metal castings were presented.According to their forming techniques,they can be grouped into stone mould casting,clay mould casting,ablation casting,lost wax casting,stack casting,permanent mould casting,sand casting,etc.According to their materials,they can be categorized into tin bronze,bimetallic bronze,malleable cast iron,ductile cast iron,brass,cupronickel alloy (Packtong),etc.According to their surface decorative techniques they can be devided into gem inlay,gilding,gold and silver inlay,copper inlay,engraved decoration,surface tin-enrichment,mother-of-pearl inlay,burnished works with gold or silver inlay,surface coloring and cloisonné enamel,etc.

Square Lei of Min-The King of Bronze Leis

The Shang Dynasty(16th Century B.C.-11th Century B.C.)The body of the vessel is 63.6 cm high,and the cover of the vessel 28.9 cm highThe Lei was a large wine vessel among ritual utensils for sacrifice during the ancient Chinese Bronze Age.There are two types of Leis:square and round Leis.Both the cover of the Lei and the inside wall of the Lei body were cast with inscriptions.According to these inscriptions,it is called

Silver "Cha" Cup

Dating:The fifth year of Zhi Zheng Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty(1345 A.D.)Length:20 cm;height:18 cm;weight:616 g Cast in silver"Cha"is a kind of raft made of wood and/or bamboo.The Cha cup was made by Zhu Bishan,a great master craftsman of the Yuan Dynastry,based on a fairy tale in which an old immortal went to the Sky River(the Milky Way-a silver river in ancient Chinese legends)on a raft.The cup is in the shape of an ancient

Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

The Early Warring States Period(475 B.C.-221 B.C.)The bell rack has a length of 748 cm,a width of 335 cm and a height of 273 cm The whole set of 65 chime bells weighs 4,400 kg Bronze with high content of tin Excavated from Suizhou city,Hubei provinceThese two-tone bells with different frequencies are hung on a rack in groups arranged in the order of their sizes.While being struck,they make a polyphonic scale of sounds.They are called chime bells(Bianzhong in Chinese pinyin).

Painted Bronze Chariots and Horses—a vivid bronze sculpture of 2,220 years ago

Qin Dynasty(Made before 210 B.C.)Scale:Half the actual sizes of the real objects The two large-sized bronze chariots and horses,which are funerary objects in the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang,have a realistic modeling and accurate physical proportion,and they are wholly color-painted(see the cover and Fig.1),assembled with 3,462 copper,gold,and silver parts.The wall thickness of the canopies of the carriages is merely 0.1—0.4 cm,

The Lost-Wax Process in the Pre-Qin Period: A Bronze Appendage with Hollow Snake Patterns from the Tomb of Duke Ning of Xu

This paper discusses the most recent case of the lost-wax process,namely,a bronze appendage with hollow snake patterns excavated in 2002 at the tomb of Duke Ning of Xu(許公寧)(a state in the Spring and Autumn period)in Ye County,Henan Province.Various physical and chemical analyses indicate that this artifact was cast as a whole in 547 BCE or slightly later in a high tin bronze alloy using the lost-wax process.No traces of cast joints or soldering were found.This research provides further proof that the lost-wax process was a significant technical development achieved by casters in the Pre-Qin period.