Briefly describe the development history of bronze mirrors.

1. Poem on the development history of bronze mirrors

Poetry on the history of bronze mirrors 1. Ancient poems about bronze mirrors

Multiple categories. Li Bai's Song of Autumn Pu

White hair three thousands of feet, sorrow like a beard.

I don't know where to get autumn frost in the mirror.

In the middle of the month, the son of heaven is hidden. It smells good.

LAM Raymond bi shui Qian Dan Zhuang

Under the light, people know nothing about Tian Zi.

Only the bronze mirror hurt itself.

My heart is like an autumn moon, with a bright green pond.

There is nothing better than Aaron. what can I say?

Body-time bodhi tree

Xin ru Ming Jing tai

Always work hard.

Don't make trouble.

pipal

A bright mirror is not a pedestal.

There was nothing.

So how does it produce dust?

I want to know the history of bronze mirrors.

Bronze mirror is a mirror made of copper in ancient times. In ancient times, bronze mirrors were closely related to people's daily life and were indispensable daily necessities. Bronze mirrors are exquisite handicrafts. It is well-made, beautifully shaped, with gorgeous patterns and rich inscriptions, and is a treasure in the ancient cultural heritage of China.

The ancient mirror means big basin, which is called prison. Shuowen said: "The prison can take the water of the bright moon, so it is a mirror because it can go smoothly." At the beginning of the Three Dynasties, the prison was made of tile, so there was no gold beside the word prison in ancient times. In the early years of Shang dynasty, bronze swords were cast, and later the characters of the swords also had gold characters. In Shang and Zhou dynasties, although there were bronze mirrors, tile mirrors were still popular. It was not until the Qin Dynasty that bronze mirrors were cast. Because mirrors were better than mirrors in many aspects, water was no longer used as mirrors after the Qin Dynasty. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, mirrors were used more widely and made better. Its materials include gold, silver, copper, iron and so on. , with copper as the most, gold-plated silver, gold and silver on the back, or inlaid with gold and silver wires. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there have been various patterns with handles and squares. It was not until the late Ming Dynasty that glass was used as a mirror. After Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, glass became popular among the people. Until the early years of the Republic of China, a few remote areas still used copper as a mirror.

Mirrors are the oldest in the Qin and Wei Dynasties, but what has been handed down in Qin Jing so far is unearthed, and what has been handed down from generation to generation is gone. Because in ancient times, the dead were given with mirrors, that is, they were buried with mirrors, indicating that the times followed the trend, so most of the famous mirrors in ancient times were buried with them. However, the bronze of the ancient mirror is still good, and it will not lose its beautiful texture after being buried for many years. Therefore, after thousands of years, you can still see the great tools of the ancients.

Although mirrors began in the Qin Dynasty. But the real Qin Jing is actually hard to get. Because the Qin dynasty was short in time, its products were limited, and the martyrdom was not better than that of later generations, most of the oldest mirrors obtained now were products of the Han dynasty. Mirrors in the Han dynasty were beautifully made, and many of them were inlaid with jewels. Most of the inscriptions are twelve Chen, which is probably a sign of self-encouragement. There are many imperial mirrors on the square, so the unearthed ancient mirrors are brightly painted, with bright patterns, even and flawless strokes and criss-crossing. Bronze mirrors in the Han dynasty all have inscriptions, which are auspicious statements, such as prosperity of the family, suitability of children and grandchildren, great wealth, great luck and so on. The names of mirrors are Sun Moon Mirror, Twelve Birthday Mirror, Fangshang Imperial Mirror, Exorcism Mirror, Immortal Mirror, God Man Mirror, Appropriate Official Mirror and so on. Probably with the inscription or name given by the author. Only when there was a transparent mirror in the Tang Dynasty, when facing the sun or lights, the words on the back of the mirror could be clearly mapped on the wall.

Throughout the development history of ancient bronze mirrors in China, since the bronze mirrors appeared in China 4,000 years ago, the bronze mirrors in each period have reflected its early stage (Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors), its popularization stage (bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period), its heyday (bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty), its middle decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties), its prosperity stage (bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties) and its decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries). Judging from its popularity, casting technology, artistic style and achievements, the Warring States, Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are the three most important development periods.

I want to know the history of bronze mirror.

Bronze mirror is a mirror made of copper in ancient times.

In ancient times, bronze mirrors were closely related to people's daily life and were indispensable daily necessities. Bronze mirrors are exquisite handicrafts.

It is well-made, beautifully shaped, with gorgeous patterns and rich inscriptions, and is a treasure in the ancient cultural heritage of China. The ancient mirror means big basin, which is called prison.

Shuowen said: "The prison can take the water of the bright moon, so it is a mirror because it can go smoothly." At the beginning of the Three Dynasties, the prison was made of tile, so there was no gold beside the word prison in ancient times.

In the early years of Shang dynasty, bronze swords were cast, and later the characters of the swords also had gold characters. In Shang and Zhou dynasties, although there were bronze mirrors, tile mirrors were still popular.

It was not until the Qin Dynasty that bronze mirrors were cast. Because mirrors were better than mirrors in many aspects, water was no longer used as mirrors after the Qin Dynasty. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, mirrors were used more widely and made better.

Its materials include gold, silver, copper, iron and so on. , with copper as the most, gold-plated silver, gold and silver on the back, or inlaid with gold and silver wires. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there have been various patterns with handles and squares.

It was not until the late Ming Dynasty that glass was used as a mirror. After Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, glass became popular among the people.

Until the early years of the Republic of China, a few remote areas still used copper as a mirror. Mirrors are the oldest in the Qin and Wei Dynasties, but what has been handed down in Qin Jing so far is unearthed, and what has been handed down from generation to generation is gone.

Because in ancient times, the dead were given with mirrors, that is, they were buried with mirrors, indicating that the times followed the trend, so most of the famous mirrors in ancient times were buried with them. However, the bronze of the ancient mirror is still good, and it will not lose its beautiful texture after being buried for many years.

Therefore, after thousands of years, you can still see the great tools of the ancients. Although mirrors began in the Qin Dynasty.

But the real Qin Jing is actually hard to get. Because the Qin dynasty was short in time, its products were limited, and the martyrdom was not better than that of later generations, most of the oldest mirrors obtained now were products of the Han dynasty.

Mirrors in the Han dynasty were beautifully made, and many of them were inlaid with jewels. Most of the inscriptions are twelve Chen, which is probably a sign of self-encouragement.

There are many imperial mirrors on the square, so the unearthed ancient mirrors are brightly painted, with bright patterns, even and flawless strokes and criss-crossing. Bronze mirrors in the Han dynasty all have inscriptions, which are auspicious statements, such as prosperity of the family, suitability of children and grandchildren, great wealth, great luck and so on.

The names of mirrors are Sun Moon Mirror, Twelve Birthday Mirror, Fangshang Imperial Mirror, Exorcism Mirror, Immortal Mirror, God Man Mirror, Appropriate Official Mirror and so on. Probably with the inscription or name given by the author.

Only when there was a transparent mirror in the Tang Dynasty, when facing the sun or lights, the words on the back of the mirror could be clearly mapped on the wall. Throughout the development history of ancient bronze mirrors in China, since the bronze mirrors appeared in China 4,000 years ago, the bronze mirrors in each period have reflected its early stage (Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors), its popularization stage (bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period), its heyday (bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty), its middle decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties), its prosperity stage (bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties) and its decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries).

Judging from its popularity, casting technology, artistic style and achievements, the Warring States, Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are the three most important development periods.

4. Development of bronze mirrors

Throughout the development history of ancient bronze mirrors in China, since the bronze mirrors appeared in China 4,000 years ago, the bronze mirrors in each period have reflected its early stage (Qijia culture and Shang and Zhou bronze mirrors), its popularization stage (bronze mirrors in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period), its heyday (bronze mirrors in the Han Dynasty), its middle decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties), its prosperity stage (bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties) and its decline stage (bronze mirrors in the Five Dynasties and Ten Countries).

Judging from its popularity, casting technology, artistic style and achievements, the Warring States, Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are the three most important development periods. From Qijia culture to the Western Zhou Dynasty, the bronze mirrors of Qijia Shang and Zhou Dynasties were all round.

The mirror surface is flat or slightly convex, and the mirror body is thin, mostly bow-shaped or bridge-shaped buttons. In the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty, there were mainly plain mirrors, heavy ring mirrors and bird and beast mirrors.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, from the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Warring States Period. The mirror types that appeared and became popular in this period are: plain mirror (all-plain mirror, single-ring mirror and double-ring convex-chord mirror), pure ground mirror (few square mirrors with ground patterns but no inscriptions), mosaic mirror, four-mountain mirror and multi-button mirror.

Generally speaking, they are thin and round with small bridge-shaped buttons on them. In the mid-Warring States period, there were many kinds of bronze mirrors.

The decorative patterns of bronze mirrors have also changed. For example, the leaf mirror in the flower leaf mirror has changed from simple three leaves and four leaves to eight leaves, as well as Yun Leiwen petal mirror and mosaic mirror. The mountain characters of the Four Mountains Mirror are thinned from short to thin, and 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. At this time, there are diamond mirrors, animal mirrors, flat mirrors, arc mirrors, gold and silver staggered mirrors, painted mirrors and so on.

From the late Warring States to the Qin Dynasty, there were no four-leaf flat mirrors, flat mirrors and three-layer cloud-thunder flat mirrors. In addition to the Warring States mirror, the most popular bronze mirrors in Han Dynasty are Pan Guo mirror, Pan Qiu mirror, Cao Zhang mirror, walking cloud mirror, Lei Yun continuous arc mirror, bird and beast mirror, rearranged animal mirror, continuous arc inscription mirror, reunited inscription mirror, four rows of animal mirrors, multiple rows of animal mirrors and deformed four-leaf mirror.

Han Dynasty is an important period for the development of bronze mirrors in China. Among the bronze mirrors in China, the Han mirror is the most unearthed and widely used. Han mirrors are not only more in number than those in the Warring States period, but also have made great progress in production form and artistic expression.

Judging from its development trend, it can be divided into three stages, and the important changes appeared in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the period of Wang Mang at the end of Western Han Dynasty and the middle of Eastern Han Dynasty. The early Western Han Dynasty was a period in which the mirror of Warring States and the mirror of Han Dynasty alternated.

It was not until the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, around the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that some new mirrors became popular. These new mirrors have played a connecting role in the development of bronze mirrors in later generations.

According to the data of bronze mirrors unearthed in the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the following types of bronze mirrors were popular in this period: animal mirrors: rearranged animal mirrors, surrounded animal mirrors, painted animal mirrors with Buddha. Deformable four-leaf mirror: Deformable four-leaf driving phoenix mirror, Deformable four-leaf Buddha-bird-phoenix mirror, Deformable four-leaf beast head mirror, double rhombic mirror and auspicious beast mirror.

At this time, Qinglong, White Tiger, Suzaku, Xuanwu and God beast are combined into a decorative theme. At this time, the inscription is difficult to identify because of the text. Although some mirrors with inscriptions were found, they were rarely clearly identified.

Wu Jingzhong found the most inscriptions over the years, including Sun Wu's titles, such as Huanglong Yiyin, Jianxing, Wufeng, Taiping, Shuian, Ganlu and Fenghuang. During the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were not many new mirror types, mainly following the Han mirror style. At this time, there are not many types of bronze mirrors, and the types are concentrated and there are few innovations.

At this time, the mirror of the god beast spread the most widely. Among the deformable four-leaf mirrors, the deformable four-leaf mirror and the eight-phoenix mirror are the majority.

Judging from the development history of bronze mirrors, this period is in a period of stagnation and decline. The Tang Dynasty of Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties is another new historical period in the history of the development of bronze mirrors in China.

Compared with the previous generation, the bronze mirrors of Sui and Tang Dynasties have made new progress. Adding tin to copper alloy makes the bronze mirror appear silver, which is both beautiful and applicable.

In the shape of the bronze mirror, besides continuing to use the round and square of the previous generation, it also created a diamond-shaped and thicker grape mirror for birds and animals. And apply auspicious and happy pictures reflecting people's life and pursuit of ideals to the mirror, such as the moon palace, immortals, mountains and rivers and so on.

And there are gold and silver mirrors and mother-of-pearl mirrors with novel themes, gorgeous patterns and exquisite details. This is the product of high artistic level in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which fully shows the characteristics of the tang dynasty bronze mirror.

The development of bronze mirrors in Sui and Tang Dynasties went through three stages. During the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the theme decoration of bronze mirrors was mainly auspicious animals, which was popular and was an important type in the development of Sui and Tang Dynasties.

It not only inherits the tradition of ancient bronze mirrors in China, but also has new innovations. Ruishou Grape Mirror is an eye-catching mirror in the Tang Dynasty, which started the theme decoration of the mirror in the Tang Dynasty.

From Tang Gaozong to Tang Dezong, new forms, new themes and new styles appeared in bronze mirror decoration, which made bronze mirrors enter moderns. From Tang Dezong to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, bird mirrors, flower mirrors and panlong mirrors were popular.

A major feature of the Tang Dynasty mirrors is the diversity of artistic styles or techniques. Bronze mirror art also presents a strong "prosperous Tang Dynasty" atmosphere.

Before the Tang Dynasty, the bronze mirrors of Song, Liao, Jin and China were mainly round, and rarely square. After the Song Dynasty, in addition to inheriting the past round mirror, square mirror, sunflower mirror and rhombic mirror, sunflower mirror and rhombic mirror are the most common.

Their edges are different from those of the Tang Dynasty, and some of them are straight, forming a hexagonal mirror. In addition, there are mirrors with handles, rectangles, chicken hearts, shields, bell-shaped ding and other styles.

There are many bronze mirrors with flowers, birds and animals, mountains and rivers, small bridges and flowing water, terraced fields and people's stories as decorative themes, as well as plain mirrors and narrow button mirrors without decorative patterns, all of which have a strong flavor of life. In addition, there are some immortals, character story mirrors and gossip mirrors.

Judging from the bronze mirrors of the Jin Dynasty unearthed from archaeological excavations in recent decades, their main body and ornamentation are also very rich. Although many of them are bronze mirrors imitating Han, Tang and Song dynasties, there are also some unique patterns.

Common ones are double front mirrors, historical story mirrors, panlong mirrors, Rui beast mirrors and Ruihua mirrors. The decorative patterns of bronze mirrors in the Jin Dynasty, one is to imitate the decorative patterns of bronze mirrors in the Han and Tang Dynasties; The second is to absorb the former model and create some new models.

Pisces mirror and character story mirror are more common, especially Pisces mirror and boy climbing mirror. Yuan.

5. The development history from the Warring States to the tang dynasty bronze mirror.

In addition to the Warring States mirror, the most popular bronze mirrors in Han Dynasty are Pan Guo mirror, Pan Qiu mirror, Cao Zhang mirror, walking cloud mirror, Lei Yun continuous arc mirror, bird and beast mirror, rearranged animal mirror, continuous arc inscription mirror, reunited inscription mirror, four rows of animal mirrors, multiple rows of animal mirrors and deformed four-leaf mirror. Han Dynasty is an important period for the development of bronze mirrors in China. Among the bronze mirrors in China, the Han mirror is the most unearthed and widely used. Han mirrors are not only more in number than those in the Warring States period, but also have made great progress in production form and artistic expression. Judging from its development trend, it can be divided into three stages, and the important changes appeared in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the period of Wang Mang at the end of Western Han Dynasty and the middle of Eastern Han Dynasty. The early Western Han Dynasty was a period in which the mirror of Warring States and the mirror of Han Dynasty alternated. It was not until the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, around the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, that some new mirrors became popular. These new mirrors have played a connecting role in the development of bronze mirrors in later generations. The Tang Dynasty is another new historical period in the development history of bronze mirrors in China. Compared with the previous generation, the bronze mirrors of Sui and Tang Dynasties have made new progress. Adding tin to copper alloy makes the bronze mirror appear silver, which is both beautiful and applicable. In the shape of the bronze mirror, besides continuing to use the round and square of the previous generation, it also created a diamond-shaped and thicker grape mirror for birds and animals. And apply auspicious and happy pictures reflecting people's life and pursuit of ideals to the mirror, such as the moon palace, immortals, mountains and rivers and so on. And there are gold and silver mirrors and mother-of-pearl mirrors with novel themes, gorgeous patterns and exquisite details. This is the product of high artistic level in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which fully shows the characteristics of the tang dynasty bronze mirror. The development of bronze mirrors in Sui and Tang Dynasties went through three stages. During the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the theme decoration of bronze mirrors was mainly auspicious animals, which was popular and was an important type in the development of Sui and Tang Dynasties. It not only inherits the tradition of ancient bronze mirrors in China, but also has new innovations. Ruishou Grape Mirror is an eye-catching mirror in the Tang Dynasty, which started the theme decoration of the mirror in the Tang Dynasty. From Tang Gaozong to Tang Dezong, new forms, new themes and new styles appeared in bronze mirror decoration, which made bronze mirrors enter moderns. From Tang Dezong to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, bird mirrors, flower mirrors and panlong mirrors were popular. A major feature of the Tang Dynasty mirrors is the diversity of artistic styles or techniques. Bronze mirror art also presents a strong "prosperous Tang Dynasty" atmosphere.

This is what I saw in Bobaozhen Mall. Let me show you.

6. The history of bronze mirrors is a prosperous period.

Ancient bronze mirrors were used to reflect light. The pattern on the back of the mirror has an individual identity and carries rich historical and cultural values, so some people call it "flipping" cultural relics. Yesterday morning, the two-day "China Shaoxing Bronze Mirror and Ancient East Asian Civilization International Academic Forum" opened in Ke Qiao. More than 65,438+000 experts and scholars from China, Japan and South Korea discussed and exchanged historical and cultural information about bronze mirrors in this area in the form of academic reports and seminars. This also reveals the rich and mysterious human history behind the mirror ... The bronze mirror with a long history is a treasure in the ancient cultural heritage of our country, and it is the main appliance used by ancient people for face decoration, which is closely related to people's daily life; It is also closely related to the national cultural beliefs and customs of the region. Its function and mission gradually withdrew from the historical stage with the appearance and popularization of glass mirrors. It is understood that from the existing archaeological data, the history of bronze mirrors in China can be traced back to the Qijia culture period about 4,000 years ago. 1977, a bronze mirror with a diameter of 9 cm and a thickness of 0.4 cm was unearthed from Qijia Cultural Cemetery in Matai, guinan county, Qinghai Province. The back is decorated with irregular geometric patterns of seven-pointed stars. Since then, bronze mirrors have been discovered in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, but the technology of bronze mirrors is still in the primary stage. By the Han Dynasty, the production of bronze mirrors had made great progress. Apart from some changes in the early ornamentation, inscriptions appeared in the ornamentation, and even varieties with inscriptions as the main ornamentation appeared. At the same time, some high relief crafts were decorated. Bronze mirrors such as animal mirror, portrait mirror and dragon and tiger mirror also began to appear. Exquisite high relief techniques make the characters in the picture, such as immortals, chariots and horses, dragons and beasts, lifelike, reaching the peak of Han mirror technology. The bronze mirrors in Sui and Tang Dynasties, both in ornamentation and shape, have changed greatly compared with the previous generation. In decoration, animals and dragons are represented by realistic relief techniques. In terms of shape, there are diamond mirrors, sunflower mirrors, square mirrors and serrated mirrors, which are completely different from the previous ones. Therefore, the bronze mirrors of the Tang Dynasty show the rich, open and heroic spirit of the Tang Dynasty in style. Among them, the typical Ruishou Dai Mingjing, the sea animal grape mirror and some special craft mirrors in Sui and Tang Dynasties are vivid in decoration, exquisite in craftsmanship and magnificent in overall style. Decorative themes are mostly flowers and birds wrapped in brand names and branches; Compared with the Han and Tang dynasties, the alloy composition of tire materials has changed obviously, and tire taboos tend to be light and thin, paying more attention to practicality. After the Song Dynasty crossed to the south, Zhejiang and Zhejiang's mirror casting handicraft industry was very developed, and Huzhou was the most common private workshop. It can be seen from the inscription in the mirror that Shi Jia, Shi Xiaoer, Shi Erlang, Shi San, Shi Shi Lang, Shi Saburo, Gundam Shi Liulang, and Li Jia and JOE. There are also bronze mirrors with inscriptions, such as the bronze statue of Uncle Hangzhou, the bronze statue of Zhong Jiaqing in Hangzhou opened in Ivy Ho under Qingdao Bridge in Yuezhou, the bronze statue of Yuezhou and the bronze statue of Daizong in Yuezhou. Shaoxing bronze mirror occupies an important position in the history of China bronze mirror development. According to the available data, bronze mirrors unearthed from Xishishan site in Shaoxing during the Warring States Period. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were more and more kinds of mirrors, such as square mirror, turtle mirror and animal mirror. Shaoxing used to be Huiji. Huiji bronze mirror gradually rose in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, a large number of people in the north moved south and the governor of Huiji, Ma Zhen, built Jianhu Lake in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which greatly developed Shaoxing's agriculture and handicraft economy and laid a certain economic foundation for the development of Huiji bronze mirror. In addition, Huiji District is also rich in copper and lead. It also provided the necessary conditions for the rise of Huiji bronze mirror. "Yue Jue Shu" records that "the red pansy mountain breaks tin, and if the wild stream dries up, it produces copper". Coupled with the traditional smelting and casting technology, which is famous for casting swords, Huiji became one of the national mirror casting centers at that time, and Huiji bronze mirror played an important role in the history of bronze mirror development in China, with far-reaching influence. "Shaoxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Sun Wu period. Huiji Mirror centered on Shaoxing is an important brand and innovative image of China Bronze Mirror, which has distinct characteristics of the times and hell. Bronze mirror culture is an important part of Shaoxing's history and culture, which is why this forum was held in Shaoxing. " Many experts in bronze mirror research have expressed this view. Why are bronze mirrors so charming? It can't show people's faces, but there are still so many people fascinated by it. Lin Huadong, director of the Institute of History of the Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, gave a reason: Today, the bronze mirror embodies culture and verifies history with its unique artistic charm. Although the mirror has lost its former smoothness, the decorative patterns and inscriptions on the back of the mirror bear rich history and culture. Some experts say that the invention and use of bronze is a great leap in the history of human civilization. As an important symbol of advanced productive forces at that time, the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties in China were called "the glorious bronze age". After the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, bronze gradually declined and was replaced by iron, the representative of more advanced productive forces. However, the manufacture and use of bronze mirrors did not decline because of the decline of bronze. On the contrary, they experienced unprecedented prosperity and development. Therefore, bronze mirrors are regarded as a continuation of bronze culture. Bronze mirrors appeared in the early Bronze Age until mercury glass mirrors appeared in the Qing Dynasty. However, its cultural and historical value attracts more and more people to study and collect it. The casting technology, copper, decorative patterns and inscriptions of bronze mirrors in past dynasties all reflect the specific background, politics, economy, religion, literature, art and customs at that time.

7. What is the history of China's mirrors?

The early days of slavery in China were in the Bronze Age. In the long-term bronze smelting and casting practice, people realize the relationship between alloy composition, properties and uses, and can manually control the proportion of copper, tin and lead. The ancient book Kao Gong Ji recorded that "there are six kinds of gold", that is, the proportion of six alloys. The last one is together: "Gold and tin are half, which means it's the same." Is the proportion used to make bronze mirrors. "Sword" is a mirror with high tin content, because the bronze mirror has bright surface and silvery white color, and it also needs casting performance to ensure the fine pattern. Our ancestors made a beautiful "transparent mirror" more than 2000 years ago, which can reflect the beautiful pattern behind the bronze mirror, thus causing great excitement in the world. In order to solve the mystery of "transparent mirror", scholars at home and abroad have spent hundreds of years researching and exploring, and it was not until modern times that it was discovered that this was because the curvature of the mirror was slightly unequal to the back pattern after manufacturing and processing, and the back pattern was reflected. This fully shows China's superb mirror-making technology and profound understanding of light reflection characteristics in ancient times.

1976 In the spring, a bronze mirror was found in the tomb of a good woman in Yinxu, China, more than 200 years ago. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, has a famous saying: "People can be clothed with bronze mirrors; Looking at the past as a mirror, we can see the rise and fall; Take people as a mirror and you can know the gains and losses. " Here, copper is the mirror, which is the bronze mirror. In Hua Mulan Ci, which describes Hua Mulan's father joining the army, there is a saying: "When the window is decorated with clouds, the mirror is painted yellow." This mirror is also called bronze mirror. The bronze mirror is made of copper-tin alloy. From bronze mirror to glass mirror, it has experienced a long and interesting history. Around BC, the glass mirror was first invented in Sidon, Syria. After the Roman era, the development was slow, but due to the bad luck of Roman glass technology, it quickly declined, and the development of mirror industry in the 5 th and 6 th centuries also declined completely, and there was no big development anymore. After the Renaissance in Europe, glass mirrors were exported to the East again. At that time, it was the Venice mirror, which was popular in France. About 100 years ago, Japanese, China and other Asian countries began to use glass mirrors instead of nonmetallic mirrors, thus rewriting the monotonous and hazy history of Asian mirror images and contributing to perfect light reflection; At the same time, it also activated the fashion pulse of the cosmetic mirror.

Mirrors are indispensable household items in daily life, even if they are practical items, they are also decorations. Humans have used mirrors for more than 500 years. Ancient humans first saw their own images in the water of rivers and lakes, so they had the stage of taking water as a mirror. Images seen in rivers and pools are limited by natural conditions. When it is windy or rainy, the water surface is uneven, or the water is turbid, the image cannot be seen clearly. So from life experience to taking pictures with a container full of water. This is the "water mirror". At first, I used clay pots to hold water to see my image. Among the primitive social cultural relics unearthed in banpo village, Xi 'an, China, there are pottery containing water. Later, there was a copper basin to hold water. Using the "water mirror", you can only look down at the image and not look up. In the bronze age, because the copper surface can reflect light, people took photos directly with the copper surface, which produced bronze mirrors. During the Warring States period, due to the great changes in social production relations, various technologies developed rapidly, and the production technology of bronze mirrors was continuously improved. The back of the bronze mirror is made into various patterns with bas-relief or inlaid with gold and silver thread, which becomes exquisite handicrafts. The bronze mirror was used in China for more than 3000 years, and it was not until the late Qing Dynasty that it was replaced by the glass mirror.