Bronzes you don't know (1)-From the name.

In the eyes of most people, bronzes are full of mysterious objects. Think about the typical objects that have often appeared in our textbooks since junior high school, such as mother Wu Ding and Four Sheep Fang Zun, all of which reveal a solemn atmosphere. There will be two pictures with different painting styles in the past, so that everyone can intuitively feel the grounded bronze ware first.

? Why not start with the names of bronzes? The reason why bronzes are described as "blue" is actually determined by the color they present. Bronze ware is essentially a copper alloy. Because it has been buried underground for a long time or turned around in people's hands after being unearthed, the color is mostly cyan. In fact, this cyan is a magical color, which can include many colors such as green and black. It can be understood that "green" is a general term, and it can also be said that "green" itself is an ambiguity. For objects such as bronze mirrors, the content of tin is relatively high, which makes the mirrors easier to face and darker in color.

A showcase in Hall 2 of Baoji Bronze Museum specially displays a bronze ware. Its uniqueness lies not only in the fact that the beam is cast into a movable ring, but also in its black color, which is called "black lacquer antique" according to the statement of an antique shop. Some objects rarely rust on the surface, and some places will show some gold, which is actually the color of bronze casting at that time. Bronzes were not blue when they were used. It has a very high name, called "Ji Jin". Now, when we go to the museum, we will see some exhibitions named after "Shi Sheng Ji Jin". In a long historical stage, most of the "gold" given by kings in past dynasties was copper raw material rather than gold that people first thought of.

Why do we feel the mystery and majesty of bronzes? This is probably related to its appearance and common sense of use. First of all, few bronzes are as "maverick" as the pictures listed above. Of course, in later articles, we will talk about the uniqueness of their own regional culture, such as Sanxingdui and Xing 'an Oceania. I won't go into details here. Bronzes in general, especially those of Shang and Zhou Dynasties that we often see in museums, are mostly tombs or important sites or cellars. These items are generally large and thick-walled, and some of them have inscriptions and some typical patterns, such as overeating. Secondly, in our general cultural influence, the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, when bronze prevailed, were naturally more mysterious because of the lack of historical records and rich literary legends. Over time, we feel more mysterious and dignified about that era and the bronze heavyweight cultural relics displayed in museums.

As a matter of fact, ancient Chinese bronzes, especially many bronzes with inscriptions, have played an important role in promoting historical research, which not only has aesthetic and artistic value, but also fascinates countless scholars. We ordinary people can learn about the life of the nobles at that time through these ancient bronzes, and how our ancestors lived in an era of lack of historical materials to build historical facts.

This article is an introduction. Every week, there will be simple and easy-to-understand bronze ware knowledge (of course, there may be tips for dating identification later) and small notices. Next time, I will continue to talk about every common form, so I'm sure you will go to the museum to see bronzes again. You will be able to read and understand the use. Maybe you can name some historical origins and values.