Spectral Analysis of Surface Corrosion Products of Two Embedded Gold or Silver Bronze in Ancient China
XU Lai-wu1, WANG Yong2, YANG Cheng-da1, ZHU Yi-fan1, HUANG Qiao1, QIN Ying1*
1. Department for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
2. Academy of Arts, Suzhou Vocational University, Suzhou 215104, China
Abstract:Gold or silver inlaid craft is a precious metal inlay decoration technique on the surface of Chinese bronzes in the Bronze Age. At present, the research on this technique is less and less in depth, and it is far out of proportion to its once lofty status. Currently, the process of making gold or silver inlaid bronze includes: first casting a bronze body, then pre-casting or engraving the grooves required for the pattern or inscription on the surface of the bronze, finally embedding the finished filigree and finally smoothing, achieving the decorative effect of prominent patterns and inscriptions. In this paper, XRF and XRD methods were used to analyze the composition and phase of the gold or silver inlaid bronze body, the surface of the gold wire (sheet) and the rust products from the late Warring States Period to the Han Dynasties. Two pieces of gold or silver inlaid bronze body alloy composition Cu is 85.10% and 90.15%, Sn is 10.31% and 7.68%, and also contains 3.84% and 1.86% of Pb, respectively. The alloy composition and proportion are common in ancient Chinese bronze. Composition of gold inlaid on the surface of the bronze cup is 70.38% and 75.28%, while that of Ag is 27.51% and 22.50%, which is equivalent to 17~18K gold. The composition of gold inlaid on the surface of bronze tiger-shaped ornaments is 85.16%, 88.06% and 90.24%, and that of Ag is 13.37%, 10.18% and 8.11%, which is equivalent to 20~22K gold. Common rusts of bronze ware are various oxides, carbonates, sulphides or sulphates containing copper, chlorides containing copper, and contaminants from soil such as quartz, calcium carbonate and iron oxide. In addition to the common rust products in the two gold or silver inlaid bronze rusts analyzed in this paper, minerals such as gerhardtite Cu2(NO3)(OH)3 and CuI, which are rare in ordinary bronze rust, are also found. In addition, the bronze casting simulation experiment found that before the rusting, the color difference between the alloy of the gold or silver inlaid bronze body and the gold inlay was not obvious, and the effect of highlighting the decoration of the precious metal inlay was not achieved. Based on this, combined with special rust products, this paper first put forward the idea of whether metal dyeing technology exists in the ancient gold or silver inlaid craft, hoping to attract the attention of scholars.
徐来五,王 勇,杨成达,朱奕凡,黄 桥,秦 颍. 两件中国古代青铜错金(银)器表面锈蚀产物的光谱分析[J]. 光谱学与光谱分析, 2020, 40(05): 1457-1460.
XU Lai-wu, WANG Yong, YANG Cheng-da, ZHU Yi-fan, HUANG Qiao, QIN Ying. Spectral Analysis of Surface Corrosion Products of Two Embedded Gold or Silver Bronze in Ancient China. SPECTROSCOPY AND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS, 2020, 40(05): 1457-1460.
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