A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum

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1 Radiance between Bronze and Jade Archaeology, Art, and Culture of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties Taipei Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica Published date November 2013 Page A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum Quanyu Wang 1 and Sascha Priewe 2 1. Department of Conservation and Scientific Research 2. Department of Asia, the British Museum The double-ram zun ( 尊 ) vessel (1936, ) in the British Museum was purchased from George Eumorfopoulos ( ) in the 1930s. It is dated to 13th-11th century BC and is said to be from Hunan province. The vessel takes the shape of a pair of rams supporting a hu ( 壺 ) vessel. The ram heads look very naturalistic but the bodies are decorated with small scales and on each of the haunches, standing out in slight relief, a dragon-like creature is embedded among the scales. There is a taotie ( 饕餮 ) below the lip of the container. There are, to the authors knowledge, two comparable vessels, said to have also come from Hunan. A very similar double-ram zun vessel is held by the Nezu Museum in Tokyo but yet to be studied technically. Another zun decorated with four ram heads ( 四羊方尊 ), found at Ningxiang in Hunan in 1938, is in the National Museum of China. It may have been studied but no detailed information was available. In this study, the casting techniques, the alloy composition, the surface patina and corrosion products, as well as the core materials remaining in the legs and horns of the rams, were investigated in order to give insight into the characteristics of ancient bronzes claimed to be from southern China. Bronze vessels from or claimed to be from the middle Yangzi region may have been cast in a different manner to those from Anyang and the Central Plain. The analytical techniques used were optical microscopy, ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UV) imaging, X-radiography, X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) as well as mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS)

2 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe The investigation showed that the ram heads were cast as an integral part of the vessel except for the horns. The production of the ram heads as integral parts of the vessel portrays extraordinary skills. The horns were pre-cast and attached by lock-on casting. A large number of spacers were used in the wall of the vessel. The vessel is made of leaded bronze with 11.6% tin and 4.8% lead; this alloy composition does not seem to be different from that of the Shang bronzes from Anyang. The use of a large number of spacers in the vessel wall is of a marked difference from most bronzes from Anyang. The extensive use of spacers in bronzes from the south has also been reported by researchers in China in recent years. This study establishes that the double-ram zun vessel in the British Museum is of southern provenance. It is hoped that this research will promote the study of similar bronze vessels from southern China in the future and also draw attention of archaeologists and metallurgists to differences in casting techniques between bronzes from the south and the Central Plain of China. Keywords: Bronze, Zun, Hunan, Spacers, British Museum -258-

3 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum Introduction The double-ram zun vessel (1936, , Figures 1 & 2; see also Rawson 1987: cat. no. 13) is probably the most iconic ancient Chinese bronze vessel in the British Museum. Dated to the equivalent of the late Shang period at Anyang (the major centre of the Shang dynasty from c BC, in Henan province, northern China), 13th-11th century BC, it likely came from the middle Yangzi region, possibly from Hunan province. Figure 1 The front of the zun vessel, showing drilled sample positions (arrowed). Figure 2 The side of the zun vessel, showing mould join mark (arrowed) and an over cleaned area on a ram horn (circled). Many bronze vessels were found, or said to have been found, in Hunan, and many mining and smelting sites, including Tonglushan, were found in the neighbouring province of Hubei (Li 1994: 100). Stylistic comparison of the Hunan bronzes to bronzes from north-central China is the mainstay of the -259-

4 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe argument for local production (Thorp 2006: 230). 1 Technical studies of the vessel in the British Museum and those in other collections have the potential to provide new evidence for and underpin this argument, as casting techniques in the south may also have significantly differed from those employed in the north. Although people in southern China appropriated bronze casting technology from the north during the Erligang period (c BC), the way in which these vessels were employed differed markedly. Many vessels appear to have been buried in small groups or as single pieces disconnected from burials, which contrasts with the northern practice of burying bronze vessels with the deceased. In Anyang, a vessel of the type, which is inserted between the rams, known as hu (cf. a hu in the British Museum, 1983, , Rawson 1987: cat. no. 4), was probably used for alcohol. This attribution of function for southern bronzes is less secure, as many were found buried with jades in them and their appellation as zun is merely customary. 2 Further differences to Anyang bronzes exist in terms of the vessel s shape and decoration. The vessel takes the shape of a pair of rams supporting a hu. Bronze vessels in the shape of real animals are a feature of southern Hubei and northern Hunan bronze finds, and the rams with their curving horns on the British Museum piece were treated with affectionate naturalism (Bagley 1999: 210). The bodies of the rams are decorated with small scales, and on each of the haunches, standing out in slight relief, a dragon-like creature is embedded among the scales. There is a taotie below the lip of the container. Its eyes are clear, but its other features are just a maze of lines characteristic of Loehr s Style III (Bagley 1987: 58-59, note 147). The bottle-horns of the taotie in relief are indented on the inside. The taotie seems to have been less 1 2 According to Jay Xu (2011: 10), bronzes in three styles are found in Hunan: the metropolitan referring to bronze similar to those from Anyang, the local and a mixture of both. It is unclear how these vessels were used prior to their burial

5 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum important in southern China and perhaps less well understood than at Anyang. The legs are of c-shape with the back open, where clay core remains present. It seems that a bell hanging from the base has gone missing with the loop remaining in place (Figure 3). Figure 3 The base of the vessel, showing a loop in the centre for the missing bell and clay core remaining in the c-sectioned legs. There are, to the authors knowledge, two comparable vessels, said to have also come from Hunan. A very similar double-ram zun vessel is held by the Nezu Museum in Tokyo ( index.html) but it is yet to be studied technically. One of the two double-ram zun is said to have come from Changsha, Hunan, although it is unclear whether the British Museum or Nezu piece is meant (Bagley 1987: 58-59, -261-

6 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe note 147). 3 Another zun decorated with four ram heads ( 四羊方尊 ), found at Ningxiang in Hunan in 1938, is in the collection of the National Museum of China (Fong 1980: cat. no. 20; Default.aspx?HotType=18). It appears to have been studied (Hua 1986: 228), but no detailed information is available. In this study, the casting techniques, the alloy composition, the surface patina and corrosion products, as well as the core materials remaining in the legs and horns of the rams, were investigated. The results presented in the paper give an insight into the characteristics of ancient bronzes from southern China adding to the small body of studies on bronzes from this region. It is hoped that this will promote the study of similar bronze vessels from, or claimed to be from, southern China in the future, to establish a fuller understanding of the casting industries in the South and, consequently, of the early Bronze Age toward the end of the second millennium BC. Scientific Examination The vessel was examined by optical microscopy, ultraviolet-induced fluorescence (UV) imaging and X-radiography. Small samples of surface patina and corrosion products were taken from the object and identified by combined elemental analysis using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and phase identification using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to determine if a binder was used for the application of artificial patina. The alloy composition was analysed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). 3 Kane dates the British Museum piece slightly later than the one in the Nezu Museum on stylistic grounds and the dubious claim that it is less well cast (Kane 1974: 84)

7 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum The SEM-EDX analysis was carried out using a Hitachi S-3700N Variable Pressure SEM with an Oxford INCA Energy system, running at an accelerating voltage of 20 kv at low vacuum (50 Pa) with a working distance of 10 mm. The XRD analysis was carried out using a Philips PW1012/90 Debye-Scherrer camera with Cu K radiation, and the FTIR analysis by a Nicolet 6700 with Continuum IR microscope equipped with MCT/A detectors. The ICP-AES and ICP-MS analyses were carried out in the Natural History Museum, London, using Thermo Scientific icap 6500 Duo ICP Spectrometer and Agilent 7700x ICP mass spectrometer. Samples were taken by drilling using 1 mm drill bit from the beard of a ram head and from a leg (sample position marked in Figure 1) and digested in 8% aqua regia following a method developed for ancient copper alloys (Hughes, et al. 1976: 24). Some elements such as zinc (Zn), antimony (Sb), and bismuth (Bi) etc. are not suitable for ICP-AES, and were therefore analysed by ICP-MS. Detection limits vary for each solution analysed, depending on the weight of the sample and dilution. Accuracy varies for each element and can be estimated as the difference in concentration between the value found and certified in reference materials that are analysed with the samples. The detection limit and accuracy for each element are presented with the results. Results and Discussion Object Condition and Surface Patina The vessel is 43.2 cm tall, 39 cm wide, and weighs kg. The thickness of the wall at the opening measures 4.5 mm. It is intact except that one ear of each ram is broken off. One side between the two rams is in good condition but the other side has corroded badly with many warts of light -263-

8 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe green corrosion. This corrosion product was found to contain mainly copper and tin by SEM-EDX and malachite was identified by XRD, indicating a mixture of copper carbonates and tin oxide. The tin oxide is probably amorphous, and therefore not detectable by XRD. Clean and smooth areas on the horns with the presence of a greyish blue patina (Figure 4) showed strong luminescence under UV light, indicating surface retouching. Figure 4 Greyish blue patina on a horn of ram head showing luminescence under UV. The greyish blue patina was identified by XRD as hydrocerussite (lead white). FTIR analysis of the patina showed the presence of a proteinaceous glue such as animal glue or egg white (Figure 5), which appears to have been used as a binder for the lead white pigment. A white material on the cheek of ram 1 was identified as a mixture of gypsum (CaSO 4.2H 2 O) and anhydrite -264-

9 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum (CaSO 4 ). These areas appear to have been over cleaned and the patina was applied to disguise the damage caused. The identification of the corrosion products and patina is summarised in Table 1. Figure 5 FTIR spectrum of the grey patina on the vessel against reference spectra of hydrocerussite (blue), hare glue (purple) and egg white (pink). Manufacture A vertical mould-join mark is evident in line with the centre of each ram head running down the chest (Figure 2), which suggests that a two-piece mould was used for the main body of the vessel. Considering the size of the vessel, it is possible that more mould sections were made but joined together at the last stage of mould preparation using a fine clay paste. 4 If each piece of the mould was made by joining two sections, the mould assemblage for the main body can be described as two-piece, four-division as defined by Pope et al. (1967: 360). Bagley (2009: 45) also points out that it is possible 4 Personal communication with Dr. Liu Yu of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Science (1st September 2012)

10 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe that some mould sections were joined in pairs prior to use. Although horizontal mould joins were not observed on this vessel, it is quite possible that horizontal joins were concealed perfectly leaving no traces of joins on the vessel. Because the vessel is decorated with scales all over the body, it is unlikely that horizontal joins (if they existed) were removed by finishing without causing damage to the decoration. Horizontal mould joins were noted in foundry remains excavated from the site of Xiaomintun, Anyang, Henan, but they were rarely observed on the bronze vessels themselves (Liu 2009: 55; Zhang 2011: 8). Horizontal division of mould pieces were widely used for zun vessels from Anyang (Yue et al. 2011: 51). The mould assemblage for the legs was of four pieces, joined in line with the centre of each leg. There must be horizontal joins between the mould assemblages for the upper body of the vessel and for the lower part consisting of the legs in order to make this complicated vessel but they were so carefully concealed in the mould assembly stage that there were no joins on the object. It has been reported by Hua (1986: 228) that the mould assemblage for the zun decorated with four ram heads ( 四羊方尊 ) in the National Museum of China consisted of three sections from the top to the bottom, with 24 pieces of mould, a core for the body and a core for the foot ring. It was not known whether these pieces of mould were equally divided, i.e , between these sections. The horns of the rams were believed to have been made separately from the vessel (Rawson 1987: no. 13). This was confirmed by X-radiography (Figure 6). Surface analysis using XRF showed a much higher lead content in the horns than in the body and the heads, but the lead could be from either the surface patina or/and the alloy matrix underneath. The vessel was made using a lock-on technique (Gettens 1969: 76) by inserting the pre-cast horns into its mould assemblage. The ram horns and the -266-

11 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum dragon heads on the zun decorated with four ram heads were also pre-cast and attached to the vessel using the lock-on technique (Hua 1986: 228). Figure 6 X-radiograph of the side of the rams, showing the pre-cast horns. Core material with sandy texture can be seen at a casting-flaw where metal was missing on a horn of ram 1. The sandy texture of the core material is reflected in the high silica detected by SEM-EDX (Table 2). Core remaining in the legs was also analysed and was found to contain less quartz but more alumina than the core in the ram horns (Table 2). The difference in core material between the horn and the body of the rams indirectly confirms that the horns were made separately. It has been reported by Hua (1985: 483) -267-

12 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe that cores usually had higher quartz contents than moulds. Compositions of core materials and mould fragments from other publications are also included in the table for comparison. A large number of spacers were revealed by X-radiography (Figures 6-8): five on the base and over 30 on the wall of the vessel. It is difficult to determine the precise number of spacers used on the wall because of the warty eruptions of corrosion. The spacers appeared to have been placed in four rows on the main body of the vessel below the taotie s eyes. There also are a few spacers near the bottle-shaped horns of the taotie, which are more or less in line with the ram heads. Spacers are absent on the neck under the oval-opening, where the mould sections and the core were assembled using the mortise and tenon joints (Li 2007: 188). The vessel was examined under magnification but spacers were not observed on either surface with one possible exception (Figure 9). Figure 7 X-radiograph of the lower part of the vessel showing the presence of many spacers (darker features) on the wall

13 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum Figure 8 X-radiograph of the bottom of the vessel showing the presence of spacers. Figure 9 Casting flaw on a bottle-horn (on the right) of the taotie and a possible spacer (arrowed)

14 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe This vessel markedly differs from the bronze vessels from Anyang in the way in which spacers were used. Not a single spacer was found in the walls of a number of bronze gui and jue vessels of the late Shang and early Western Zhou periods in the British Museum collection studied by one of the authors (Wang 2012: 71; Wang, et al. 2011: 62). Spacers in the wall were reported on some (but not all) vessels in the Freer Gallery of Art collection including a zun vessel of the early-middle Western Zhou dynasty (c c. 900/850 BC; Gettens 1969: FGA No ). A recent study of two zun vessels from southern China, found at Yidu, Hubei, and Wushan, Chongqing (along the middle of the Yangzi River), and dated to the Erligang period, by Su (2012a) found that a great number of spacers, sometimes more than seem necessary, were used. By contrast, spacers did not appear to be employed on any Shang bronzes from the Central Plain until the Erligang period, and were found on some Shang bronze vessels from Anyang only when it was technologically necessary, but not on many vessels. Great numbers of spacers were also found on many bronze vessels from Xin gan, Jiangxi province, also along the Yangzi River in southern China (Su 2012b: 110), dated to the 14 th to 13 th century BC. The combination of these pieces of evidence led Su to speculate that the use of spacers in bronze casting in ancient China was probably invented in southern China in the Erligang period and subsequently transmitted into the Central Plain (Su 2012a; 2012b: 114). The present study seems to confirm the importance of spacers in southern bronze casting, which significantly differs from the north, including the Erligang period, which provided the initial stimulus for southern casting. Differences in the use of spacers between bronzes from different regions have rarely been reported and need further attention from archaeologists and metallurgists. Furthermore, is there any association between the use of spacers and the types of vessels? Were spacers used in large vessels but not needed for small ones? These questions deserve attention in future technical -270-

15 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum studies of Chinese bronzes. The rams seem to have open mouths and the metal flash at the lips was accidental due to imperfect mould joining in the centre of the head (Figure 10). There is a wall in the head behind the cheek, which seems to across the back of the mouth from top to bottom (Figure 11). This wall may have been incorporated to prevent liquid, perhaps alcohol, from flowing out, should the vessel have had this use. Figure 10 The ram head, showing metal flash at the lip

16 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe Figure 11 X-radiograph of the ram head showing a wall across the back of the mouth. Figure 12 Schematic drawing of a vertical section of the vessel, showing suggested mould assemblage (core for the legs is not shown and the ram horn was pre-cast). How were the ram heads produced? Clay core remains can be seen inside the mouths. To determine if spacers were used on the heads, real-time X-radiography was performed on the head while it was lying on a rotating table, because conventional X-radiography using film was not possible, due to the heads complex shapes and their location on the vessel. The voltage of the real time X-radiography used was up to 300 kv to achieve penetration of the head from the crown to the chin. No spacers were found in the head. The core for the mouth of the ram must have been attached to one piece of the mould and poked out after casting. 5 The vertical cross-section of the vessel, shown in Figure 12, illustrates the core and mould for the upper body and the ram mouth. 5 Personal communication with Mr. Tan Derui, retired metallurgist of the Shanghai Museum (20 th October 2012)

17 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum The quality of the casting is good as shown by X-radiography. There is little porosity present and no gaps around the spacers. A hole on the top of a bottle-horn of the taotie is the only casting flaw on the vessel. The vessel, like most Chinese bronze vessels, was probably cast upside down (Wan 1976: 25-29), although definite evidence for this was not found on this object. Samples were taken from the bottom of a leg and from the beard of a ram in the hope of confirming that the ram head was cast integrally with the body of the vessel. Drilling the thin-wall horns of the rams (with sandy core remains) was considered too risky, therefore it was not possible to determine the alloy composition of the horns. The ICP-AES results are shown in Table 3. The alloy compositions for the ram head and the body of the vessel are identical, confirming that they are from one cast. The alloy composition of this zun vessel has little difference from that of Shang bronzes from Anyang (Bagley 1987: ; Gettens 1969: 47-53; Su, et al. 1995: ). Conclusions The casting of the double-ram zun vessel was extremely skilful. It was made in one cast except for the horns of the rams. The horns were pre-cast and attached by lock-on casting. A large number of spacers were used in the wall of the vessel. The vessel was found to have been made of a ternary alloy of copper-tin-lead (Cu-Sn-Pb), with 11.6% Sn and 4.8% Pb. The alloy composition of this zun vessel does not seem to be different from that of the Shang bronzes from Anyang. The use of a large number of spacers in the vessel wall markedly differs from most bronzes from Anyang. The production of the ram heads as integral parts of the vessel was extraordinary. The study shows that bronze vessels from or claimed to be from the middle Yangzi region were cast in a different manner to those from Anyang and the Central Plain and attests to the -273-

18 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe innovative nature of the bronze-using cultures in the south. This study establishes that the double-ram zun vessel in the British Museum collection is of southern provenance through comparison to excavated and studied pieces. Whether it is actually from Hunan or elsewhere along the middle Yangzi River is difficult to prove. The study of the piece contributes to clarifying a distinct southern tradition of bronze casting. It is hoped that this research will promote the study of similar bronze vessels from southern China and also draw attention of archaeologists and metallurgists to differences in casting techniques between bronzes from the south and the Central Plain of China. Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Dr Stanislav Strekopytov (Imaging and Analysis Centre, Natural History Museum London) for the ICP-AES and ICP-MS analyses of the alloy compositions. We are also grateful to Mr. Tan Derui and Ms. Lian Haiping for their advice on the manufacture of the vessel. We would like to thank our colleague Dr. Marei Hacke for her help with the FTIR analysis, and Susan La Niece for her help with X-radiography

19 Table 1 Identification of corrosion products and patina on the surface of the zun vessel. Material Major elements by SEM-EDX XRD results Light green corrosion product from corrosion warts Cu, Sn Malachite (Cu 2 CO 3 (OH) 2 ): ICDD ) Green corrosion product on a horn Sn No pattern, probably amorphous tin oxide Greyish blue patina on a horn showing luminescence under UV light White material on the face of ram 1 Pb Hydrocerussite (Pb 3 (CO3) 2 (OH) 2 : ICDD ) Red material in groove of horn of ram 2 Ca, S -CaSO 4 : ICDD A mixture of gypsum (CaSO 4.2H 2 O: ICDD ) and anhydrite (CaSO 4 : ICDD ) A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum

20 Table 2 SEM-EDX results (wt. %) of core materials from a leg and a horn of the zun vessel together with available data from publications ( nd indicates not detected, that is below the detection limit of 0.5%). Sample Period Na 2 O MgO Al 2 O 3 SiO 2 P 2 O 5 K 2 O CaO TiO 2 FeO Core From leg of BM 1936, th-11th century BC nd From horn of BM 1936, th-11th century BC nd nd 4.4 From BM 1973, [1] Western Zhou nd WZHV/black, Fufeng, Shaanxi [2] Western Zhou nd WZHV/grey, Fufeng, Shaanxi [2] Western Zhou nd nd 4.1 Mould HV, Houma, Shanxi [2] Eastern Zhou HT/brown, Houma, Shanxi [2] Eastern Zhou nd HT/grey, Houma, Shanxi [2] Eastern Zhou nd No.3, Erligang, Zhengzhou [4] Early Shang nd No. 5, Yinxu, Anyang [4] Late Shang nd No. 6, Yinxu, Anyang [4] Late Shang nd , , Anyang [3] Late Shang , , Anyang [3] Late Shang nd , , Anyang [3] Late Shang nd No.20, Luoyang, foundry site [4] Western Zhou nd nd 4.2 No. 05, Houma, foundry site [4] Eastern Zhou nd No.32, Xinzheng, foundry site [4] Eastern Zhou nd nd 3.0 [1] Wang et al 2011: 65 [2] Wang 2002: 32 [3] Freestone et al. 1989: 261 [4] Tan and Huang 1996: 51 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe

21 Table 3 The alloy compositions by ICP-AES and ICP-MS (in bold) (wt. %). Sampled Cu Sn Pb Fe As P S Ag Au Co Ni Sb Bi Zn sum, % area Vessel leg < < Ram head < < Detection limits for trace elements (by ICP-AES) P Fe As, S Accuracy (relative error) for each element Cu, Sn, Sb.1-2% Ag, Ni..3-4% Pb, Fe, As, Bi, Zn. ~10% S 30-50% A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum

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25 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum Artifacts, October 6-10, 1975, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, edited by N. Barnard, Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, pp Wang, Quanyu 2002 Metalworking Technology and Deterioration of Jin Bronzes from the Tianma-Qucun site, Shanxi, China. BAR International Series Oxford: Archaeopress "Technical Studies of Three Gui Vessels of the Early Western Zhou period in the British Museum Collection." In Scientific Research on Ancient Asian Metallurgy: Proceedings of the Fifth Forbes Symposium at the Freer Gallery of Art, edited by P. Jett, B. McCarthy, and J. G. Douglas, London: Archetype Books, pp Wang, Quanyu, Sascha Priewe, Kwang-Tzuu Chen, and Susan La Niece 2011 "A Chinese Bronze gui Vessel, Genuine Western Zhou Piece or Fake?" British Museum Technical Research Bulletin 5: Xu, Jay 2011 "Ancient Bronzes in Hunan: A Survey." In Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan, edited by W. H. Chang and J. M. L. Barrett, New York: China Institute in America, pp Yue, Zhanwei, Hongbin Yue, and Yu Liu 2011 "Studies of Moulding Technology of Yinxu Bronzes." In Research on the Casting Technology of Clay Molds for Shang and Zhou Bronzes, edited by J. Chen and Y. Liu, Beijing: Cultural Relics Press, pp Zhang, Changping 2011 "The Cross Influence between Art and Technology in Bronze Decoration of the Chinese Bronze Age." In Research on the Casting

26 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe Technology of Clay Molds for Shang and Zhou Bronzes, edited by J. Chen and Y. Liu, Beijing: Cultural Relics Press, pp

27 A Technical Study of the Double-ram Zun Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel in the British Museum 王全玉 1 Sascha Priewe 2 1. Department of Conservation and Scientific Research 2. Department of Asia, the British Museum 大英博物館館藏雙羊尊 (1936, ) 是上世紀三 年代從 George Eumorfopoulos 手中購得 它製造於西元前十三到十一世紀之間, 據說出土於湖南, 形狀是一個雙羊支撐的壺 羊頭很像真正的羊但身體部位裝飾有很小的鱗片, 腰腿間飾有類似龍狀的動物 在頸口下端有一個饕餮紋飾 據作者所知, 有兩件類似的器物據說也出自湖南 一件是東京根津美術館所藏的雙羊尊, 還沒有經過分析研究 另一件是收藏於中國國家博物館的四羊方尊, 一九三八年發現於湖南寧鄉, 可能進行過技術研究但也沒有任何細節報導過 作者採用大量的現代分析技術, 包括光學顯微鏡 紫外光 (UV) 成像 X 光探傷 X 光螢光分析 (XRF) 掃描電子顯微鏡與能譜分析 (SEM-EDX) X 光衍射 (XRD) 紅外光譜 (FTIR) 感應耦合電漿原子發射光譜 (ICP-AES) 以及質譜儀 (ICP-MS) 等, 對雙羊尊的鑄造技術 青銅成分 表面銅綠和腐蝕物以及殘留於羊角與羊腿部的範芯進行了分析研究, 試圖對南方的青銅器有個深入的瞭解 出自長江中游地區的青銅器與出自安陽和中原地區的青銅器, 其鑄造方法可能會有不同 研究表明, 羊頭部分除角以外是與器身一體鑄造的, 這需要高超的技術 羊角事先鑄好, 然後預置於器身的範上 器壁上用了大量的墊片 青銅成分為 :11.6% 的錫和 4.8% 的鉛, 這與安陽的商代青銅器的成分沒有多大區別 大量墊片的使用表明了這件尊在鑄造技術上與安陽青銅器的顯著不同 近年來國內也有其他學者發現南方青銅器普遍使用了大量的墊片 本研究表明, 大英博物館館藏的這件雙羊尊產於南方應該沒有問題 希望本研究能促進更多學者對南方青銅器的研究, 也希望能引起冶金考古工作者對出自南方地區和中原地區青銅器的不同鑄造技術的重視 關鍵詞 : 青銅 尊 湖南 墊片 大英博物館

28 Quanyu Wang and Sascha Priewe