Ten Methods for Distinguishing False Bronze Wares
Watcher type. After reading the "Complete Collection of Chinese Bronze Wares" in Volume 16 (Cultural Relics Publishing House, 1998), you will know if the type of the artifact is correct.
Look at the line. Generally, bronze ware has a model line on all four foot edges. Some commonly used ones are polished.
Look at the copper quality. The fake copper ware we see now is all cast from impure copper, which belongs to copper with relatively low impurities and the color cast is different from that of ancient times. Ancient copper is not as good as modern copper, with holes of all sizes visible under a microscope. The current copper is too refined.
Look at the craftsmanship. The ancients had a tendency to create patterns and decorations at will, but now specialized imitation seems too serious and doesn't feel particularly good.
Look at the pattern. In the past few years, there were some fake things that were neither good nor good, such as the Shang Dynasty's vessel shapes paired with spring and autumn patterns.
Look at the inscription. Some counterfeiters copy the inscriptions on ancient bronze vessels, which are not smooth.
Look at the weight. The copper tools buried underground, after being corroded, have lighter hands and hair compared to those just cast.
Look at the rust. There are a lot of fake floating rust made now, which can easily fall off when touched. Old rust is particularly rare.
Look at the gasket. Due to the fact that Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts were assembled from block models, they were unable to maintain precise balance. If there is a slight imbalance between the inner and outer moulds, it is easy to cause uneven thickness of the vessel wall, or produce major Casting defect. Therefore, craftsmen in the Shang and Zhou dynasties generally used small copper plates with similar thickness to cushion the gap between the inner and outer molds, ensuring stability and uniformity in the gap between the inner and outer molds, and improving the casting quality. This can be found on the vast majority of early bronze vessels, although some are obvious and some are hidden. Before the Spring and Autumn period, I couldn't see very clearly, but after the Spring and Autumn period, I saw very clearly, all of them were blocks.
Look at the wrapping. The old with paste, the new without paste.
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