Looking at the history of the development of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors, since the emergence of bronze mirrors in my country four thousand years ago, bronze mirrors in various periods reflect its early (Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors), popular ( Bronze mirrors of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods), heyday (bronze mirrors of the Han Dynasty), decline (bronze mirrors of the Three Kingdoms, Jin, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties), prosperity (bronze mirrors of the Sui and Tang Dynasties), decline (bronze mirrors of the Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties), etc. several stages.
From the perspective of its popularity, casting technology, artistic style and its achievements, the Warring States, Han and Tang Dynasties are the three most important development periods.
Shang and Zhou Bronze Mirrors:
Shang Dynasty bronze mirrors are all round. The mirror surface is nearly flat or slightly convex, the mirror body is thin, and there is an arched bow-shaped (or bridge-shaped) button in the center of the back. Bronze mirrors of the Western Zhou Dynasty are also round, with flat or slightly convex mirror surfaces, thin mirror bodies, and various types of mirror buttons: bow-shaped, semi-circular, and rectangular. It can be divided into three categories: plain mirror, heavy ring mirror, and bird and animal pattern mirror.
At this time, plain mirrors were mainly used. By the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, decorative bronze mirrors appeared. In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the decoration on the back of the mirror changed, and animal decorations appeared, breaking the traditional style.
Plain mirror: There is no pattern on the back of the mirror.
Double ring pattern mirror: The mirror surface is slightly convex, with an arc button on the back and decorated with heavy ring patterns.
Bird and animal pattern mirror: The mirror body is straight and there are two parallel bow buttons on the back. There is a deer pattern on the top of the button, and a bird pattern with wings spread below.
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period:
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were a period of maturity and great development in the development history of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors. It was the transition from naive simplicity to maturity of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors. stage; it was also an important period when the bronze mirror casting center began to move from the north to the south. At that time, Chu State was the most important bronze mirror production area during the Warring States Period.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze mirrors developed rapidly and comprehensively on the basis of the three generations (Xia, Shang and Zhou). Both the casting process of bronze mirrors and the number of castings have greatly exceeded those before.
In the Qijia culture and the Shang and Zhou dynasties, most of the bronze mirrors were plain without decoration, while those with decoration were mainly geometric patterns. By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were 15 major categories of decorations, and various special craft decorative arts appeared, such as ink-painted patterns, gold and silver interlaced patterns, open-air carving patterns, etc. In the early days, bronze mirrors were simple and rough. After the creation and modification during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, they have reached a state of beauty.
The style of the Spring and Autumn Bronze Mirrors not only inherited the tradition of the Western Zhou Bronze Mirrors, but they were still mainly plain mirrors, and the buttons were not fixed, but they were still in diversified forms. At the same time, the Spring and Autumn Bronze Mirrors had many important developments.
It broke the circular format of bronze mirrors and gave rise to square mirrors; it also changed the early bronze mirror patterns that were only outlined with positive lines and simple composition techniques to create intricate open-carved patterns; Judging from the form of decorative patterns, Spring and Autumn bronze mirrors have caught up with the development of bronze ware, and the decorative contents are more characteristic of the times. This laid the foundation for the great development of bronze mirrors during the Warring States Period.
From the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period. The types of mirrors that appeared and became popular during this period include: plain mirrors (full plain mirrors, single-circle, double-circle convex string plain mirrors), pure ground pattern mirrors (square ones are rare, the patterns have ground patterns, but no inscriptions), Mosaic mirror, four-mountain mirror, multi-button mirror, etc. Most mirrors are round, but square mirrors also appear.
Generally, the mirror body material is thin and often has edges. The whole shape is regular, giving people a light and elegant feeling. Mirror buttons are mainly bow-shaped buttons, but the tops of the buttons are often decorated with 1 to 3 convex string patterns, so they are also called "string pattern buttons". The back of the mirror has no decorative pattern and has disappeared except for the early period. The decorations are delicate and often have ground patterns.
In the middle of the Warring States Period, there were many types of bronze mirrors. The patterns of bronze mirrors have also changed. For example, the leaf pattern mirrors in mosaic mirrors have changed from simple three-leaf, four-leaf to eight-leaf mirrors. There are also petal mirrors and mosaic-leaf mirrors with cloud and thunder patterns.
The mountain characters of the Sishan Mirror have changed from thick and short to thinner. There are petal patterns, long leaf patterns, and rope patterns between the mountain characters, which are quite complicated. There are also five mountain mirrors and six mountain mirrors. The types of mirrors that appeared at this time include rhombus pattern mirrors, animal pattern mirrors, panchi pattern mirrors, continuous arc pattern mirrors, gold and silver staggered pattern mirrors, painted mirrors, etc.
From the late Warring States Period to the end of the Qin Dynasty, four-leaf panchi mirrors, panchi rhombus mirrors, and three-layer cloud and thunder pattern ground panchi mirrors with arc patterns appeared.
Bronze mirrors of the Han Dynasty:
In addition to continuing to use the mirrors of the Warring States Period, the most popular bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty are: mirrors with flat chi pattern, mirror with flat snake pattern, mirror with Zhangcao pattern, nebula mirror, Cloud and thunder arc pattern mirror, bird and animal pattern regular mirror, rearranged mythical animal mirror, continuous arc pattern inscription mirror, double circle inscription mirror, four-breasted bird and animal pattern mirror, multi-breasted bird and animal pattern mirror, deformed four-leaf mirror, mythical beast mirror, Portrait mirror, dragon and tiger pattern mirror, daylight curved mirror, four breast mirror, seven breasts and four divine animal pattern mirror, etc.
The Han Dynasty was an important period for the development of bronze mirrors in my country. The largest number of Han mirrors have been unearthed and are widely used. Not only are there more mirrors in the Han Dynasty than in the Warring States Period, but they have also developed greatly in terms of production form and artistic expression techniques. From its development trend, it can be divided into three major stages. Important changes occurred in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the period of Wang Mang in the late Western Han Dynasty, and the middle period of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The early Western Han Dynasty was the period of alternation between the Warring States Mirror and the Han Mirror. It was not until the middle of the Western Han Dynasty that some new types of mirrors became popular around Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. These new types of mirrors played a connecting role in the development of bronze mirrors in later generations.
The characteristics of Han Dynasty bronze mirrors are round shape, thin body, flat edges, round buttons and stylized decoration. There are different styles in different periods, and its development can be divided into three periods.
The first period refers to the early to middle and late Western Han Dynasty. The bronze mirrors of this period used flat carving techniques, with flat mirror surfaces, smooth patterns, simple mirror edges, and strong decorative properties. In the early Han Dynasty, the decorative style of bronze mirrors from the Warring States Period was followed, and the overlapping technique of combining shading and main patterns was often used.
Mirrors with clouds and thunder patterns that were popular in the Warring States period continue to be popular. The center of the mirror back is made into a circle to form a rectangle, and some have cast inscriptions, usually such as Sauvignon Blanc, Never Forget, Always Wealthy, Le Weiyang Wait for words. In the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, around the time of Emperor Wu, the shape and pattern of bronze mirrors changed significantly, and the ground pattern gradually disappeared. It is made into a hemispherical button, and the pattern is strictly symmetrical to the center of the mirror's circular surface, or evenly divided into four areas. In addition to the simplified panchi pattern mirrors that were popular at that time, star moiré mirrors and grass leaf mirrors were also popular. The nebula pattern actually evolved from the panchi pattern. Because there are many breasts, the nebula pattern mirror is also called the hundred-breast mirror.
The base of the grass-leaf mirror is square, surrounded by symmetrical grass leaves, some like petals, some like blades, and the outer edge is edged with sixteen inward arcs. This type of bronze mirror occupies an important position among Han mirrors due to its long popularity.
About from the time of Emperor Xuan, there appeared the sun mirror with the inscription "The Light of the Sun" and "The Great Ming" in one circle, and the "Zhao Ming Mirror" with inner clear quality to show the light. The brilliance is like the two circles of the sun and the moon. There are rope patterns, continuous arc patterns, and concentric heavy circle structures, all with inscriptions as the main decoration.
The second period refers to the late Western Han Dynasty to the early Eastern Han Dynasty. Regular mirrors were mainly popular during this period. In order to show off his political achievements, Wang Mang made a number of gorgeous and exquisite mirrors. The mirrors of the Han Dynasty were the most exquisite during Wang Mang's period.
Rectangular mirror: It is named because its casting carvings are very fine and regular, and the mirror pattern has a regular TLV-shaped decorative pattern. Foreign scholars also call it TLV mirror. The program is quite standard. Generally, the back of the mirror is divided into several decorative areas. Starting from the button base, a round button is used as the center as a separate decorative unit. The shape of the button base can be round, square, or calyx-shaped.
The area immediately following the button base is the inner area, which is the main pattern part. The TL shapes in the pattern are often symmetrically arranged on the four sides of the inner area of ??the bronze mirror in the main flower, playing a role of interspersion. Further outward is the outer area, which is mostly decorated with ribbon patterns composed of curly grass patterns, bird and animal patterns, and geometric patterns. The final outer edge area is either plain, has a simple arc pattern, or is decorated with cord or zigzag lace.
An inscription belt is often added between the inner and outer areas. It is divided into five areas, with a strict and regular layout, but the machinery is rigid and has little change, giving people a sense of sameness. The rule mirror was still popular in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, but it has undergone certain changes.
Bronze mirrors of this period mostly cast the so-called four gods of Qinglong, White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu in the main flower position in the inner area. Some also added the twelve zodiac inscriptions on the side of the button base, or the dragon on the left and the tiger on the right. Palming the four directions, Suzaku Xuanwu follows the words of Yin and Yang, so it is also called the Four Divine Mirrors of Rules. TLV is actually the chess game of ancient Liubo. A stone Liubo board was unearthed in Fei County, Shandong Province, and a complete set of gambling equipment was unearthed from Tomb No. 3 in Mawangdui, Changsha. The chess games all have TLV patterns. In the development of Han mirrors, the regular mirror has been the longest popular type and is also the most outstanding type of Han mirror.
The third period refers to the middle to late Eastern Han Dynasty. During this period, the mirror surface is slightly convex, which is convenient for reflecting the full shape of the face, and is in line with scientific principles. The mirror button becomes thicker, larger and stronger. Contrary to the first period, the arcs are mostly in the inner area.
The layout of bronze mirrors during this period was also more lively, with simple regional divisions, usually with auspicious words such as "Changyi Senior Official" or "Changyi Descendants" and "Three Lords" as inscriptions. During this period, relief-style sculptures were also created, with high-level decorations. The main ones include double-kui pattern mirrors, bat-pattern mirrors, portrait mirrors, square inscription mirrors (miracles of mythical beasts), etc.
The double-kui pattern mirror broke the popular inward or outward radial technique centered on the button base at that time, and used a symmetrical format to achieve a unique effect; the bat-pattern mirror is actually a persimmon The deformation and expansion of the pedicle pattern makes the pattern abstract and beautiful in form; the portrait mirror expresses people, birds, animals, flowers and plants in the form of bas-relief, which is consistent with the style of portrait stones and portrait bricks at that time.
Most of these mirrors were unearthed in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, accounting for almost 90% of them. Fang-inscribed mirrors are also called mythical beast mirrors, which refer to a circle of protruding semicircles and squares around the bronze mirror, often depicting themes of gods and beasts.
Fang-inscribed mirrors are also called mythical beast mirrors, which refer to a circle of protruding semicircles and squares around the bronze mirror, which mostly represent themes of gods, birds, and animals. Shaoxing, Zhejiang, was the most important bronze mirror manufacturing center in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The mirrors with mythological beasts and portraits cast there marked a new development in bronze mirror decoration. The difference between the latter and the former is that in addition to the images of mythical animals, there are also relief images such as singing and dancing, carriages and horses, historical figures and legends.
A new pattern arrangement also appeared in the mythical beast mirrors of the late Han Dynasty, which was a stepped arrangement in one direction, similar to the scattered perspective of wood carvings. It was called a stage mirror, which was popular in the Jian'an period (AD 196-220), also known as Jian'an style.
Three Kingdoms, Two Jins, Southern and Northern Dynasties:
According to the data on bronze mirrors unearthed from archaeological excavations, the following types of bronze mirrors were popular during this period:
Divine beast mirrors: rearranged mythical beast mirrors, wrap-around mythical beast mirrors, and Buddha and beast mirrors with pictures and texts.
Transformed four-leaf pattern mirror categories: deformed four-leaf driving phoenix mirror, deformed four-leaf Buddha bird and phoenix mirror, deformed four-leaf animal head mirror, double rhombus mirror, and auspicious animal mirror.
At this time, the green dragon, white tiger, red bird, black basalt and mythical beasts are combined into the decorative theme. The inscription at this time was difficult to read due to the text. Although some mirrors with inscriptions have been found, few of them can be clearly identified.
The most chronological inscriptions have been found in Wu mirrors, including Huanglong Yiniao, Jianxing, Wufeng, Taiping, Shui'an, Ganlu, Fenghuang, etc. There are not many new mirror types in the Three Kingdoms, Two Jins, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. , mainly following the style of Han mirror. At this time, there were not many types of bronze mirrors, the types were concentrated, and there were very few innovations. At this time, the mythical beast mirror was most widely spread.
Among the deformed mirrors with four leaves and eight phoenixes, the majority are deformed mirrors with four leaves and eight phoenixes. Judging from the development history of bronze mirrors, this period was in a period of stagnation and decline.
The Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties periods:
The Tang Dynasty was another new historical period in the development history of bronze mirrors in my country. Bronze mirrors of the Sui and Tang Dynasties have made new developments compared with previous generations. The tin component is increased in the copper alloy, and the texture of the copper mirror appears silvery, which is both beautiful and practical.
In terms of the shape of bronze mirrors, in addition to continuing to use the round and square shapes of the previous generation, they also created rhombus style and thicker bird and animal grape pattern mirrors. And pictures that reflect people's lives and people's pursuit of ideals, auspiciousness, and happiness are applied to the mirror, such as moon palaces, immortals, landscapes, etc. And there appeared gold and silver flat mirrors and mother-of-pearl mirrors with novel themes, gorgeous decorations and exquisite workmanship.
This is a product of the high artistic level of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which fully demonstrates the characteristics of the bronze mirrors of the Tang Dynasty.
The development of bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties went through three stages. During the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the theme decorations of bronze mirrors were mainly auspicious animals, and auspicious animal mirrors were relatively popular, and auspicious animal mirrors were an important type in the development process of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In addition to inheriting the tradition of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors, it also has new innovations. The auspicious animal grape mirror is an eye-catching type of mirror in the Tang Dynasty. It opened the prelude to the mirror-themed decoration in the Tang Dynasty.
From the period of Tang Gaozong to Tang Dezong, new forms, new themes, and new styles appeared in the decoration of bronze mirrors, bringing bronze mirrors into a gorgeous and gorgeous era.
From Tang Dezong to the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods, bird mirrors, auspicious flower mirrors, and panlong mirrors were mainly popular.
One of the biggest features of Tang Dynasty mirrors is the diversification of artistic styles or artistic techniques. The art of bronze mirrors also presents a rich "Tang Dynasty atmosphere".
Song, Liao, Jin and Bronze Mirrors:
Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese bronze mirrors were mainly round, with very few square ones. After the Song Dynasty, in addition to inheriting the past round, square, sunflower-shaped, and rhombus-shaped mirrors, sunflower-shaped and rhombus-shaped mirrors were the most common. Their edges are different from those in the Tang Dynasty, some are straighter, forming hexagonal mirrors. In addition, there are many styles such as handle mirror, rectangular, chicken heart-shaped, shield-shaped, bell-shaped tripod, etc.
There are also many bronze mirrors with decorative themes of flowers, plants, birds and animals, landscapes, small bridges, balconies and people's stories, as well as plain mirrors and mirrors with narrow edges and small buttons without patterns. These themes all have strong cultural appeal. Breath of life. In addition, there are some gods, character story mirrors and Bagua mirrors.
Jin Dynasty Bronze Mirrors Judging from the Jin Dynasty bronze mirrors unearthed from archaeological excavations in recent decades, their main bodies and patterns are also very rich. Although many of them imitate the workmanship of bronze mirrors from the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, there are also some unique patterns.
Common ones include double front mirrors, historical figures story mirrors, dragon mirrors, auspicious animal mirrors, auspicious flower mirrors, etc. The bronze mirror decorations of the Jin Dynasty imitated the patterns of the bronze mirrors of the Han, Tang and Song dynasties; second, they absorbed the patterns of the former and created some new patterns. Pisces mirrors and character story mirrors are more common, especially Pisces mirrors and children's climbing branch mirrors are the most popular.
Bronze mirrors of the Yuan Dynasty:
Bronze mirrors of the Yuan Dynasty were mostly in the form of six rhombuses or six sunflowers, but the decorations have become rough and crude. At this time, the bronze mirrors included peony pattern mirrors, fairy mirrors, character story mirrors, double dragon mirrors, "Shoushan Fuhai" inscription mirrors, plain mirrors, and dragon pattern mirrors in the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty, there are dragon-patterned mirrors made in the Hongwu year and inscribed mirrors made in the Xuande year of the Ming Dynasty (the inscription is on the button), as well as the Dashun three-year mirror created by Li Zicheng, the leader of the uprising in the late Ming Dynasty (the inscription is on the button). . After the Ming Dynasty, bronze mirrors were gradually replaced by glass mirrors.
Bronze mirrors after the Yuan and Ming Dynasties:
After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the production of bronze mirrors declined even more. In addition to traditional styles, there are double fish patterns, double dragon patterns, character stories such as Liu Yi's biography, etc. It is a relatively new style. However, the bronze mirrors at this time were crudely made, and most of them only had chronological inscriptions but no decorations.
During this period, especially in the Ming Dynasty, the trend of imitating Han mirrors and Tang mirrors was very popular. Most of the imitated bronze mirrors were the Liubo pattern mirrors of the Han Dynasty and the auspicious beast grape mirrors of the Tang Dynasty. Mirrors are generally small in shape and have unclear patterns. They no longer have the style of the bronze mirrors of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Extended information:
Imitation techniques:
There are generally three methods of imitating mirrors, namely using early mirrors to directly copy molds, using replicas to imitate molds and crushing them. Mirror splicing method.
The first method is simple and easier to make. The original mirror's patterns and inscriptions are clear and its lines are smooth, while the direct replica mirror, although the mirror shape is the same, often has blurred patterns and inscriptions, and the lines are not smooth, making it look dull. However, some real mirrors are not well made due to their age, and their inscriptions and patterns are also blurry. When the mirror shape, decoration, and inscriptions are the same, attention should also be paid to the copper quality and thickness of the mirror body.
There are at least two situations in which the original mirror is used as a copy and model. One is that the decorative pattern and inscriptions of the original mirror are completely imitated on the model. Although the cast bronze mirror is different in shape, The inscriptions and decorations are similar.
The second is that although the original mirror was used as a copy, the mirror craftsman also added engraved patterns and inscriptions. Some of the patterns on the cast mirror are inconsistent with the era of the inscriptions. For example, it is clearly a Han mirror but has Ming Dynasty inscriptions. Common inscriptions on mirrors; some have varying shapes and patterns.
There is also a method of splicing broken mirrors: that is, bonding and repairing bronze mirrors. When unearthed, very few of the bronze mirrors were intact, and most were broken or missing. Forgers would weld the broken pieces into a whole. , the defective parts will be repaired with copper rust. Any place where the mirror surface is not smooth and has green rust will be added.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Bronze Mirror