This week, we learned about forged bronzes, antiques, and collectors. The video assigned for Tuesday pondered the possibility of Chinese bronzes being forged. I heard from some experts on how they could forge bronze or how a forged bronze could be spotted and then learned step by step how to forge bronze! It has to be molded using wax. Then, bronze is poured into wax mold. There is a complicated formula involved that dictates how much of each material (ex. silver and iron) is used, after which, patterns are chiseled into the bronze. To imitate mold (patina), the bronze is soaked in acid and patina is sprayed onto the bronze. In this video, the forgery was sent to a lab to be tested in every way possible to see how convincing the forgery was. Could science distinguish between true bronze and forged bronze? Yes. The machines testing the bronze determined that this one was forged.
The Clunas reading examined the importance of antiques in China. Antiques are thought to connect the past and present because it gives us a glimpse into life and culture in the past. Different antiques had various meanings and were valued based on their connection to culture and history.
The Ebrey reading was about Emperor Huizong who was a collector and curator. It described his collections as large, comprehensive, and organized because he knew it would bolster his reputation and prestige. In class, we talked about how emperors were known to collect art and have their collections recorded in catalogs. Specifically, they collected calligraphy, paintings, inscriptions, vessels, jades, inkstones, and books. The purpose of collecting was to reaffirm their rule.
In the two Arronz chapters, China’s Forbidden City, the once-imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, was raided and destroyed during a historical rebellion. After the final Chinese dynasty fell, the palace became a museum and has exhibited a near comprehensive collection of artifacts. The second chapter is about how many artifacts were evacuated and survived through war, describing a complete timeline that describes how everything was saved.
China’s Forbidden City makes for a good photograph
Bibliography
Discover: “The World of Science: Chinese Bronze Forgery”
Clunas, Craig. Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early
Modern China. Honolulu: Univ Of Hawai’i Press, 2016.
Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Emperor Huizong. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ.
Press 2014.
Arranz, Adolfo. “How China’s Forbidden City Became the Palace Museum.”
South China Morning Post. December 05, 2018.
Arranz, Adolfo. “Forbidden City treasures survived 14 years fleeing war before being
split between Beijing and Taipei.”” South China Morning Post. December 31, 2018.
