Wuchuan bronzes and cinnabar mining immigrants during the Qin and Han Dynasties—new perspectives from typological and lead isotope analysis

Huang, Mei; Wu, Xiaotong; Chen, Xinzhou; Li, Tao; Wu, X. Y.; Shi, Min; Li, Fēi; Ritchey, Melissa M.; Huang, Fang; Jin, Zhengyao

doi:10.1007/s12520-021-01455-5

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 10 publications

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“…The bronze Zun of the Han dynasty enjoyed unprecedented development and reached a high level of decoration based on the techniques used to make it. Standard decorative techniques of bronze ware include inlay [5,6], gilding [7], gold inlaying [8], gold wrapping [9], burin engraving [10], and so on. However, because of the paucity of surviving ancient texts, there is still further research required into gold inlaying [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Research on a Gold- and Silver-Inlaid Bronze Zun from the Han Dynasty

Liu,

Tian,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Coatings

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The bronze Zun was one of the more prevalent high-class wine containers of the Han dynasty, representing the highest level of decoration in bronze at the time. However, little has been reported about its technical characteristics and scientific value. In this paper, the samples were selected for analysis based on scientific analysis, following the principle of “minimal intervention”, and a bronze Zun from the Han dynasty in the Gansu Provincial Museum collection was studied using ultra-deep field microscopy, X-ray flaw detection, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy spectrometry (EDS). The results show that the gold and silver decoration on the bronze is inlaid rather than gilt. Secondly, the body and lid of the vessel are molded in one shot, with the bird-head-shaped and animal-foot-shaped components cast separately and then attached to the lid and body. Thirdly, the corrosion of the bronze Zun is characterized by the copper matrix being corroded first and most severely, followed by the silver and, finally, the gold. The high purity of the gold wire embedded in this bronze Zun, the fine width of gold wire (154–190 μm), and the magnificent decoration show the excellent processing technology level of the precious metal and the high aesthetic level of ancient man during the Han dynasty. The results of the analysis of this bronze Zun can provide an essential reference for research on bronze vessels of the same type, the techniques of gold and silver misalignment, and the development of the history of bronze manufacture and technology during the Han dynasty.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Research on a Gold- and Silver-Inlaid Bronze Zun from the Han Dynasty

Liu,

Tian,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Coatings

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Reconstructing the trade history: provenance study of Han bronze mirrors in and out of Han China

Wang,

Liu,

Gao

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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A rapidly increasing number of bronze mirrors dated to the Chinese Han dynasty (202 BC – AD 220), known for their unique decorative patterns and highly developed alloying techniques, have been widely discovered in both China and beyond, providing fresh materials and scientific data to revisit their geological provenance, production and circulation network along the ancient Silk Road. In this paper, 47 bronze mirrors unearthed in the southeastern provinces of China, including Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian provinces, have been characterized by typo-chronology, lead isotopic analysis, compositional analysis and metallography. A much wider comparative study is also carried out through a combination of data from China, Japan, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, leading to a more updated lead isotopic database of the Han mirrors spreading out of China in various directions. Compared with the traditional ‘optimal’ model based on the Han mirrors recovered in Japan, the current study contributes several key changes in the bronze mirror production of the Han dynasty. The systematic analysis of the alloy composition, trace elements and typological studies shows that the bronze mirror industry shifted towards a more standardized production in the middle to late Western Han Dynasty. In contrast to the substantial change of non-mirror bronze productions, the similar distribution of lead isotope data in early and middle to late Western Han mirrors suggests that the ‘official monopoly of salt and iron’ policy was less effective for the management of lead involved in mirror production. Bronze mirrors dated to middle to late Western Han discovered outside Han-China, such as Japan, Thailand, Afghanistan, Xiongnu and the ancient Dian Kingdom, appear to be subjected to a more specific type of lead as a result of the state-centralized policy of the Western Han court.

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Spectroscopic methods for isotope analysis of heavy metal atoms: A review

Zhang

Song

Shang

et al. 2023

Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy

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Wuchuan bronzes and cinnabar mining immigrants during the Qin and Han Dynasties—new perspectives from typological and lead isotope analysis

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

Scientific Research on a Gold- and Silver-Inlaid Bronze Zun from the Han Dynasty

Scientific Research on a Gold- and Silver-Inlaid Bronze Zun from the Han Dynasty

Reconstructing the trade history: provenance study of Han bronze mirrors in and out of Han China

Spectroscopic methods for isotope analysis of heavy metal atoms: A review

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