The Piece-mould Casting Simulation Experiment Of Round Bottomed Bronze-gui In Late Period Of Shang And Bronze-gui With A Square Seat In Early Period Of Zhou

The main manufacture technology of ancient Chinese bronzes was piece-mould casting, the framework of which has not been established yet. However, the casting marks left on surface of bronzes provide much information for us to restore it.JiabaoWang,Jueming Hua,Derui Tan and other scholars have attempted to cast bronze-ding,bronze-gu,bronze-jue,bronze-jia and so on. Their work got a series of constructive fruits. but some important technical issues remain to be resolved ,for the limitation of experiment condition,material and view. For example, the technology of model-making is whole or divided, if the latter, how to divide. The ornament-making is on surface of model or mould, if on surface of mould, how to make. Etc. At the same time, the aim of their casting experiment is to restore ancient bronze so that they did under many conditions of modern bronze casting. Therefore, the research can not really reflect the piece-mould casting technology of ancient Chinese bronzes.Yawei Dong,Wei He carried out the piece-mould casting simulation experiment of bronze-jia in early period of Shang based on ancient contemporaneous bronze casting condition. The experiment result pointed out there is almost no difference between the characteristic of bronze-jia made by them and that of bronze-jia in early period of Shang. Without question the casting technology their used is quite close to that of ancient people in early-Shang. But the research still has some shortage. For example, the ornament their made is so easy that it can not explain the real ornament–making technique of ancient Chinese bronzes. Meanwhile, the purpose of simulation experiment was to solve the piece-mould casting technology of Chinese bronzes in early period of Shang, so it can not make clear of the piece-mould casting technology of ancient Chinese bronzes.After investigation, we found the round bottomed bronze-gui in late period of Shang has not a square seat, compared with the bronze-gui with a square seat in early period of Zhou, between which, there should exist a transition of techniques.So, we carried out the piece-mould casting simulation experiment of the round bottomed bronze-gui in late period of Shang and the bronze-gui with a square seat in early period of Zhou on ancient contemporaneous bronze casting condition. We see it is hardly any difference between the characteristic of round bottomed bronze-gui and bronze-gui with a square seat made by us and that of bronze-gui in contemporaneous ancient Chinese bronze.The results are as follows: the manufacture technology our used in experiment is a real reflection to the piece-mould casting technology of ancient Chinese bronzes, which include divided model-making,piece-mould making,ornament-making on surface of mould,core from core-box and so on. The development of bronze-gui with a square seat in early period of Zhou based on the round bottomed bronze-gui in late period of Shang, whose advancement is adding a square seat, but all its technology came from that in late period of Shang, without breakthrough. The piece-mould casting technology in early period of Zhou inherited that in late period of Shang.