The artifacts to be identified are compared with the real ones in terms of copper, casting technology, shape, ornamentation and inscription, and all kinds of counterfeit products are taken as the negative standard to investigate, so as to have a preliminary understanding of the authenticity of the artifacts in all aspects. Then, all aspects of the equipment are integrated and analyzed as a whole.
The shape, ornamentation and inscription of genuine vessels are consistent with each other, while there are often contradictions between various aspects of counterfeit vessels. Because the casting process in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties is different from that in later generations, the casting marks left on the utensils are also different, and the authenticity can be judged by observing the casting marks.
In the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the model casting method was mainly used, and the model lines and sometimes gaskets were left on the body of the device, and the details were delicate and smooth. In modern times, the sand turning method was used, and the grain thickness was thick and the tire thickness was thick; Or by lost wax method, there is no model line. From the point of view of copper, Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties are bronze, while many fakes in later generations are brass. Because the bronzes of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were buried for three or four thousand years, after long-term corrosion, chemical changes took place and copper deteriorated. So it's really lighter than the new fake one of the same size, and experienced people can know the authenticity by hand. For example, the true history of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Shanghai Museum weighs 9350 grams, while the fake history in Shanghai Museum weighs 12420 grams, which is 3070 grams heavier than the real one.
Secondly, the rust color on the surface of the real instrument is naturally formed after long-term corrosion, which is dense and metallic and integrated with the body. In particular, copper rust has penetrated into the interior of the vessel and into the mouth of the pattern or inscription. However, the rust color on the surface of the prosthesis is generally formed by rapid corrosion, which is characterized by being thin and floating on the surface. Thick fake rust is generally made of paint, with dark color, no metallic luster, no layers, floating on the surface of the device, loose and easy to fall off, revealing a new copper floor.
Thirdly, in terms of shape, all kinds of ancient bronzes in China have certain rules. If the identified shape does not conform to the ancient laws, it may be a fake.
Fourthly, the patterns and inscriptions of the real vessels are natural and vivid, and the style is simple and vivid. On the other hand, fakes are dull, soft and lifeless. False inscriptions are engraved with gaps, which often destroy the original surface, and the corruptors are vague and bloated. Most of the fake inscriptions are poor in calligraphy and have no meaning. By comparing them word for word with the original rubbings, we can distinguish them.
Fifth, there are often contradictions and flaws between the shape, ornamentation and inscription of the fake vessels. Furthermore, if the nature of the inscription does not match the type of the object, or the parts, lines and formats of the inscription do not match, it may be a fake. It should be pointed out that it is necessary to know the unearthed situation and spreading experience of the device in detail when identifying fakes, which can often provide important clues for identifying fakes. The premise of distinguishing counterfeit products from casting technology is to have a good understanding of the smelting and casting technology of bronzes in various eras.
In Shang and Zhou Dynasties, most bronzes were cast by Fan Tao method. That is to say, the bronzes of Shang and Zhou dynasties all have fan marks left by the combined casting of several ceramic molds, that is, fan patterns. With the progress of the times, the method of combining patterns has changed, and the pattern marks will also change, but even the most skilled craftsmen will inevitably do so if they want to leave no trace in the place where the patterns are combined. Some casters have few decorative patterns on the surface, and the joint casting surface is large, so joint traces are easy to be ignored, but in hidden places, such as ding 'er and lower abdomen, traces will still be left. The forgers of later generations didn't know the principle and method of occupied casting, only paid attention to the shape of the objects, and still used wax pattern (lost wax) casting. The surface is fine and does not need to be processed, but this method is often far from the characteristics of the original utensils. Newly cast containers are usually heavier than the original containers. This is usually due to the fact that fakes or imitations have been buried in the ground for a short period of time, buried for more than 2000 years, and corroded by mineralization, which makes the surface slightly expand and the specific gravity decrease, while fakes are naturally heavier without this process. The counterfeiters copied with wax patterns will also be slightly heavier than the original, and the counterfeiters will be cast together with rust and sand holes, and the characteristics of the former counterfeiters are more obvious. The bronze wares cast by Zhan have good surface smoothness, even and fine grain, few air holes on the surface, and no shrinkage caused by insufficient pouring of copper liquid. However, some sand holes often appear on the surface of fake parts cast by lost wax method and sand mold, and some even produce casting defects such as shrinkage cavity. If you don't understand this, you may mistakenly think that sand holes and shrinkage cavities are the characteristics of old castings.
In addition, copper castings made in Fan Tao are based on the thickness of the controller wall, and washers are usually placed between the inner and outer fans. Because the material is different from copper liquid, the rust is also different, and the lost wax casting device does not need gaskets, so the rust is naturally consistent. It is a test of the familiarity with the characteristics of bronzes in different times to distinguish fakes by the types of utensils.
With the development of the times, the shape, size and height of each bronze ware will change and form a law. For example, the large-scale ding in bronzes was the most popular from Erligang period of Shang Dynasty to Han Dynasty, but the ding shape of each era had different characteristics. It is the basis of bronze ware identification knowledge to fully understand the shape characteristics of various vessels in the times. Usually counterfeit goods are divided into two types: direct casting and patchwork transformation. Direct casting can be divided into two situations. In the first case, the fake device is cast according to the real device or related data, and its shape, inscription, decoration, etc. There are sources and references. Some equipment types or inscriptions are only partially R-referenced, and some are deliberately changed. For example, the model of the vessel is cast by reference, but the inscription is fabricated, or the reference brocade is cast on a completely different bronze vessel. Although the imitation of this fake device is not accurate, it still has a certain level. The second is an unfounded patchwork, which is intended to be amazing and achieve the goal of rare things. Such a fake is very challenging for people who are not familiar with the shape and characteristics of bronzes. If you don't observe them carefully, you may be taken in. Identification of authenticity through inscriptions is a yardstick to test the breadth of contemporary historical knowledge, the depth of calligraphy research and the level of casting technology.
The inscriptions on bronzes are historical records, examples of the development and evolution of epigraphy and calligraphy, and the embodiment of superb casting skills. Song and Qing Dynasties were the main periods for forging inscriptions on bronze. Since the Song Dynasty, epigraphy has become the focus of epigraphy. As bronze wares with inscriptions in historical documents, they are often widely valued and have high economic value. Therefore, collectors focus on inscriptions when collecting bronzes.
First of all, the inscription developed from the monogram family emblem, which is strange and ancient in shape and difficult to identify; Later, it became a simple and long inscription, which provided more historical materials for dating. Such as the inscription "Li Chan". Second, the inscriptions, regardless of strokes, structures or glyphs, have obviously changed from simple strokes to standardized writing. The casting of bronze inscriptions in Shang and Zhou dynasties is to make another inscription model and embed it in the main model. Some inscriptions are embedded very smoothly, and there are no obvious traces around them. There are also rough surfaces with low inlays, such as the inscription of Qin Gonggui. When casting long inscriptions in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, some people had to draw lines or make a good grid, so the inscriptions were horizontal and vertical, relatively regular, skilled in engraving and fluent in writing. Thirdly, with the advocacy of the times and the appearance of new carving tools, the carving level of foundry workers has been reflected in bronze inscriptions. Because the inscription on the mold soil is a positive line, after the inscription on the mold soil is engraved, it is embedded in the rich mold by wetting. The thickness of the word mouth needs to be corrected to avoid contact with the external mold, and it may need to be slightly corrected with the main mold, so that Yang's catchy words will catch fire, and the cast inscription often has the feeling of a small mouth and a small bottom. This must be observed carefully to find out. At the same time, there is a dull feeling of frosted glass at the mouth of the font, and the turning point of the font strokes is very natural. Of course, this is only found on some bronzes in Shang Dynasty and early Western Zhou Dynasty. Later, I referred to some inscriptions, the fonts were stiff and stiff, and there were hidden or obvious knife marks in my mouth. On the other hand, the bronze wares cast by sand-turning method have coarse clay particles, and the surface of inscription strokes is different from that of fine clay casting.
There are several kinds of forgeries of bronze inscriptions: adding inscriptions. That is to say, when engraving on genuine tools without inscriptions, the inscriptions on the back are mostly dim, loose and unnatural, with a wide mouth and a narrow bottom, and gouges. The counterfeiter brushed off the chisel marks with a copper wire brush, but left brush marks, which also affected the strokes of the characters. Although the font and content of the inscription can be imitated, its charm is hard to resemble. In addition, those who forge inscriptions on real utensils are all damaged in skin color, and the surface of the utensils is rusted but the mouth of the utensils is not rusted. Even if the mouth of a container is made of fake soil or rust, it is different from the surface of the container. Inscription. Is to carve a fake inscription on the original simple inscription; Or the inscription should have been written on the real musical instrument, but because of the lack of musical instruments, the inscription is also missing, so the inscription should be added together when repairing. After adding a fake inscription, its mouth, rust color and land are different from the real inscription. Moreover, the inscription on a vessel is not written by one person, so the style and charm are naturally inconsistent, especially the casting inscription is completely different from the engraving inscription. Corrosion method. The parts of the bronze ware that need to be carved are coated with wax, and characters are engraved on the wax, and then the bronze ware body is corroded with ferric chloride. After the wax is removed, the sunken inscription naturally appears. This corroded inscription is inappropriate, with different shades of words and rough edges of strokes.
Decorative patterns are gorgeous coats, and a well-fitting coat is an important basis for distinguishing the authenticity of decorative patterns.
People of different ages naturally wear different clothes, and so do bronzes. To get artifacts, we must first look at whether the shape of the artifacts is consistent with the style of the times. There are roughly the following kinds of falsification of decorative patterns: adding flowers. That is to say, on the original simple pattern of the physical object, or on the part without pattern in the light element, an appropriate pattern is engraved. Generally speaking, the carved patterns are consistent with the original patterns, but attention should be paid to the traces of cutting and stubble collapse. Flower removal method. That is to say, the original without pattern or perforation is carved and modified to make the original hollow. This pseudo-clipping method is very obvious and does not conform to the characteristics of the original device. Distinguishing the materials of bronzes in different periods is a textual research on the identity of bronzes
Bronzes before the Warring States were all made of copper, tin and lead alloys. The more tin there is, the lighter the gray of copper is. Bronzes from Shang Dynasty to Warring States Period, copper is pure, and there are few grains of sand. Bronze imitation in Song Dynasty, the alloy composition is copper, tin, lead and a small amount of zinc, and the color of copper is yellow and red. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, tin composition was less, lead and zinc composition increased, and copper color turned yellow. However, in the Ming Dynasty, the color of utensils was yellow and white, while in the Qing Dynasty, it was yellow and yellow. Therefore, to distinguish the authenticity of copper depends on the quality and color of copper exposed at the bottom, foot, sun side and bottom. Sound and smell are the necessary auxiliary means to identify the authenticity of bronzes.
Bronzes have been buried in the soil for thousands of years, and there is an earthy smell. The newly unearthed bronzes have a stronger earthy smell. The bronzes with deep underground corrosion have been mineralized, so the pronunciation is mostly voiced. Of course, bronzes buried in extremely dry and pure soil also have a good knocking sound. Most of the fakes after the Song Dynasty were brass, which was not oxidized or oxidized for a short time. When struck by hand, the sound is slender, crisp and tasteless, but it smells of sweat. This is because forgers use chemicals, such as sand pickled with acid salt and other fake seeds or fake rust, which still smell sour after being buried for many years. Some fake devices made or repaired with gypsum are light in texture and white in color, and their voices are hoarse when they are struck by hand. These are just general rules. Due to the different alloy composition, burial time, region and soil quality of bronzes, the light and heavy sounds are also different.