The Bronze-Casting Revolution and the Ritual Vessel Set

This chapter analyzes bronze-casting technology, noting that the Erlitou phase is transitional rather than representative of the beginning of bronze-casting. Through analysis of the samples of bronze, slag and mold, the study focuses on production techniques and the evolution of the composition of bronzes, beginning with an initial high copper content to a bronze alloy that gradually stabilizes. Evidence for a bronze workshop, how bronze is melted, and the lack of smelting are reviewed, noting that the source of copper, tin, and lead still needs further study. The formation of the independent Chinese bronze-working tradition appears in the use of the piece-mold casting process. This technical process and philosophical construct, are very different from the technical tradition of ancient Mesopotamia or in the ancient Egyptian region where designs were made after the bronze wares were formed. Bronze production during the Erlitou period shows a high level of organization, indicating that this phase of working bronze follows an earlier and probably longer period of development.

A Texture Selection Approach for Cultural Artifact 3D Reconstruction Considering Both Geometry and Radiation Quality

3D reconstruction of culture artifacts has great potential in digital heritage documentation and protection. Choosing the proper images for texture mapping from multi-view images is a major challenge for high precision and high quality 3D reconstruction of culture artifacts. In this study, a texture selection approach, considering both the geometry and radiation quality for 3D reconstruction of cultural artifacts while using multi-view dense matching is proposed. First, a Markov random field (MRF) method is presented to select images from the best angle of view among texture image sets. Then, an image radiation quality evaluation model is proposed in the virtue of a multiscale Tenengrad definition and brightness detection to eliminate fuzzy and overexposed textures. Finally, the selected textures are mapped to the 3D model under the mapping parameters of the multi-view dense matching and a semi-automatic texture mapping is executed on the 3DMax MudBox platform. Experimental results with two typical cultural artifacts data sets (bronze wares and porcelain) show that the proposed method can reduce abnormal exposure or fuzzy images to yield high quality 3D model of cultural artifacts.

A Liao Dynasty tomb in the Panyanggou Cemetery, Bairin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia

In July through September 2012, the tomb of Mme Yi, the De Consort of the Later Tang Dynasty was excavated. It was a brick multi-chamber tomb consisting of the passage, the entrance, the corridor, the main chamber and the side chambers, the full length of which was 24.1m. 208 pieces (sets) of grave goods were unearthed from this tomb, including porcelains, silver and bronze wares, iron objects, bone implements, lacquer wares, architectural parts and the epitaph. This tomb show more styles of the Han Culture, which was special among the tombs of the Liao Dynasty of the same time. The content of the epitaph made up the insufficient records of the historical textual materials and provided important materials for the researches on the relationship between the Khitan and the Later Tang and Later Jin Dynasties in the Five-Dynasties Period.

The mural tomb of the Northern Wei Dynasty at Yunboli in Datong City, Shanxi

In April 2009, Datong Municipal Institute of Archaeology excavated a mural tomb of the Northern Wei Dynasty at Yunboli Neighborhood in the south of urban Datong City. This tomb was a single-chamber tomb comprising the long ramp passageway, the sealing wall, the entrance, the corridor and the chamber built in the popular style of the Pingcheng period of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The grave goods unearthed from this tomb included glazed potteries, stone implements, silver and bronze wares, iron implements and bone objects; the motifs of the murals were feasting and hunting scenes, honeysuckle patterns and dragon and phoenix designs, the contents and styles of which all have features of Tuoba Xianbei ethnic group.

Preliminary Study of Corrosion Status on Bronzes Excavated from Qin Dynasty Tombs at Xinfeng Town in China

From 2007 to 2008, many bronze wares of Qin Dynasty were excavated from tombs at Xinfeng town. Being an important finding, these bronze wares attracted people’s attention, especially for their conservation. Therefore, the corrosive products were explored by using Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Detector (SEM/EDS), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy (RM), which provided much valuable information on the conservation of these bronze wares. According to tested results, the corrosive products of bronzes were found to be comprised of cuprite (Cu2O), covellite (CuS), lead carbonate (PbCO3), and malachite (CuCO3·Cu(OH)2). Meantime, the multilayer corrosive structure was found in some samples due to the cracks in Cu2O layer which had formed many microchannels to promote the material migration.

The Aesthetic Standard of Wen: A Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Early Artworks

A comparative study of the ancient Chinese and Western artworks over the same period (from approximately 3300 B.C. to 200 B.C) shows that the dense and rich decorative patterns on the bronze wares in China represent a strong aesthetic appreciation of patterns/embellishment, while their counterparts in the West demonstrate an aesthetic orientation rooted in science, evident in nude bodies in bronze and marble. It is argued that there was a very obvious essential difference between Chinese and Western aesthetic values, and these divergent aesthetic orientations were present at the origins of the Pre-Qin and ancient Greek arts where they have been absorbed into the foundation of each culture.