gifted collector

Chapter 131
Fang Ming quickly found the information he wanted on the Internet.

The so-called block model method is a relatively "old" bronze casting method, also known as the soil model method, which has been used since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and it is also the most widely used method.To put it simply, using the block model method, first make the model of the fusion vessel you want to cast, which is the so-called mold or mother model, and then apply the soil on the outside, and after it comes out, the casting mold composition of the casting outline is formed. Part, this is the so-called outer mold, after the outer mold is formed, it is divided into several pieces, so that it can be taken off from the mold.In addition, it is necessary to make a mold for the inside of the container, which is called the inner mold. After the inside and outside are combined together, a cavity with a gap in the middle is formed. After the bronze is melted, it is poured into it. The desired bronze will be formed.

Generally speaking, this method is divided into several steps: mold making, form making, casting and trimming. Because the technology is relatively mature, it has been widely used all the time.

As for the lost-wax method, it is relatively simple. It is to use materials that are relatively easy to melt, usually beeswax or tallow in animal oil, to make the mold of the desired utensils first. This mold is called a wax mold. Drizzle a thin layer of mud on the mold, so that after the mud dries, a mud shell will be formed on the surface of the wax mold, and then the refractory material is coated on the surface of the mud shell, and then baked after hardening. At this time, the wax inside The oil will melt to form a "cavity", and then pour the melted bronze into it to cool down, and you will get the casting you want.The characteristic of this method is that there are no joint marks between the parts of the bronze objects produced, which are relatively smooth and precise.

"What's the name of your antique store?"

Looking up at Ning Yuan, Fang Ming immediately realized that she was using the lost wax method at this time, because she was piling up a pile of oily but viscous things on the table.

"Butter? The name of the shop is Guxuanzhai."

"Okay, no problem."

Ning Yuan nodded and continued to work. She first spread out the butter and spread it on the workbench. First, she spread out a square of about 150 centimeters by 50 centimeters, and then used a small knife to "draw" the "ancient" on the butter. Xuan Zhai" three characters.

"Good word!"

Fang Ming couldn't help calling out in a low voice when he saw it.During this period of time, he has been researching and reading materials on antique collection, and the art of calligraphy is naturally an important part of it.Due to his strong memory, he can basically memorize all the materials he has read, so now he has helpless postings from calligraphy masters of the past dynasties in his mind. "No, so at this time his appreciation ability is actually very strong.

Although it is just a character drawn with butter and a knife, it gives people the feeling of a silver hook painted on iron. When facing such a character, a powerful momentum suddenly rushes over, just It's like facing a general on the battlefield, or facing a high-ranking official, it's daunting.

If such a word was written by a man, Fang Ming would think it would be easier to understand, but it is really shocking that it was written by a beautiful woman like Ning Yuan.

"I started practicing calligraphy when I was able to grasp things steadily at the age of two. It has been more than 20 years now, so it is not surprising that I can write such characters."

Spreading his hands, Fang Ming said, "Well, maybe it's not surprising to a genius like you, but it's a different story to ordinary people like us."

"Oh? Really? I don't think it's too difficult. From a young age, as long as I can imitate everything I've seen and innovate on this basis, for example, this word, I can easily Simply imitating the momentum of some great calligraphers, and then blending them together, it has become my characteristic, to put it simply, it is obtained by combining three or four different styles."

Ning Yuan’s words are not difficult to understand. To put it simply, put A, B, and C into a blender and mix them, so that the final thing that comes out is no longer A, B, or C, but ABC. of new things.But this is easy to say, but it is not so simple to do it.

Ning Yuan's actions were very fast, and he made the signboard mold with butter in less than half an hour, then quickly mixed fine mud and poured it on the butter mold, and then the special fireproof material.

"Wait until it's dry, then roast the butter inside, and then pour the melted bronze into it."

He clapped his hands, then took a wet cloth to wipe his hands clean, and then said: "There are other things now, you can continue to clean up the antiques, let me see what good things it is."

"Okay! No problem."

Fang Ming knew that it would take a certain amount of time to wait for these fireproof materials to dry, and the bronze ware that was accidentally discovered was still on the sidelines and had not been cleaned.

The mud painted on the outside was quickly wiped off, revealing the true inside.

"This is a tripod among bronze wares."

Ding is the most important type of bronze ware. Fang Ming had consulted the relevant information before, and now he can see it at a glance.

Bronze wares are mainly divided into nine categories, namely tripods, wine vessels, weapons, food vessels, water vessels, bronze mirrors, musical instruments, measuring vessels, and miscellaneous vessels.Among them, the tripod is the most important type of bronze ware, and its function is to cook or store meat.

Generally speaking, there are round tripods with three legs and square tripods with four legs. Of course, it is the Simuwu Dafang Ding. It was unearthed in the cypress cemetery of the Wu family in Yinxu Military Officer Village in 1939. It shocked the world when it appeared, because it is 133 cm high, 110 cm long, and weighs 875 kg. It is called a tripod. King of the Middle, the largest bronze vessel in the world.

"When is this bronze vessel?"

Ning Yuan is a master at painting, and she is naturally a layman at antique appraisal. This question can only be asked to Fang Ming.

"It's from the Shang Dynasty, and it should be from the mid-Shang Dynasty. Of course, I'm not very good at this. I'll find an expert to appraise it later."

Looking at the mold, he found that it was still too early to dry out, and there was plenty of time anyway, so Ning Yuan simply made a pot of coffee and poured himself and Fang Ming a cup.

"Then tell me, why do you think it's from the Shang Dynasty? And you even said it was from the middle of the Shang Dynasty. It's impossible for you to be so accurate without some basis, right?"

Fang Ming drank a cup of coffee, nodded and said, "Of course, I wouldn't say that without evidence. The identification of antiques can be based on materials, styles, and decorations. The reason why I say this is The bronze in the mid-Shang period is naturally because it has the characteristics of the mid-Shang period."

Pointing to the tripod, Fang Ming continued, "Look at this tripod, it belongs to the round tripod. The characteristic of the tripod at this time is that the mouth is closed, which is a form of the tripod's mouth slowly shrinking from the outside to the inside. There are three parts in total, the abdomen is bulging, forming a rounded line, the bottom of the tripod is round, and there are three legs below, and they are in the shape of a cone."

"It is worth noting that the ears of the tripod in this period are no longer opposed to one of the tripod legs, but three legs are opposed to two ears. In terms of bronzes, besides the round tripod, there is also a square tripod at this time. And the flat-footed tripod, the square tripod has a nearly rectangular body, flat lips and erect ears, and a flat bottom with four-pillared tripod feet. As for the flat-footed tripod, it is mostly straight, with thicker folded lips, and two standing shames on the lip. The belly of the tripod is relatively deep, and under the round bottom are three animal-shaped flat feet. The characteristic is that the mouth of the beast is opened to support the belly of the tripod, and the place where it lands is the tail of the beast. Therefore, in terms of form, the tripod in front of you can be sure. It's in the middle of the business."

"In addition to the shape, the bronzes of this period can also be identified in terms of decorative patterns. The most important thing is that there are cloud and thunder patterns at this time, and they are multi-layered patterns used to line the ground. This is a very fine carving. Craftsmanship has never appeared before, and you can also find animal face patterns in relief. But the animal face patterns in this period are characterized by roundness and fewer turns, and more obvious turning corners will appear after the late Shang Dynasty.”

According to some information, Fang Ming knows that the cloud and thunder pattern is the most typical pattern on bronze wares, and it is actually a pattern composed of continuous "hui"-shaped lines that are usually seen.Among them, the round "Hui" character is called "cloud pattern", while the square "Hui" character is called "Thunder Pattern". Its function on bronze wares is often used to set off the theme or the center Decoration is used for decoration and embellishment. If it appears alone, it is usually on the "neck" or "foot" of the bronze ware. In a sense, it represents the coexistence of the sun, clouds and thunder in the sky.

"This thing is really worth 200 million? It looks gray and inconspicuous."

Ning Yuan frowned. Although the bronze vessel in front of him had been cleaned, it still didn't look like a valuable antique.

"I just cleaned it up briefly. I'll have to find an expert to clean it up later. It's not good if I accidentally break it."

Fang Ming knows that antiques are usually aged for a long time, and they may be destroyed if they are not careful. There was a lot of dirt on the bronze wares before, so it is no problem to clean them up with a damp cloth, but when it comes to more careful , Thorough cleaning, or to a more professional person is better.

"Miss Ning, if you don't have a hobby of collecting antiques, you can entrust this bronze ware to our shop to sell. How about giving you the money then?"

Fang Ming never forgot that his shop had relatively few antiques, so he immediately started doing business.

"You found this antique, and it belongs to you."

Fang Ming immediately shook his head and said, "This was found in the bronze you bought, so it should belong to you."

Although he discovered it by himself, it was discovered in Ningyuan's bronze material after all, so logically speaking, it must belong to the other party, and Fang Ming would not want this antique.

"As for the one I found, how about taking it as a reward for making a signboard for me?"

"Row."

Ning Yuan is a very straightforward person, after hearing what Fang Ming said, she didn't say any more.

(End of this chapter)