bronze

Examples of bronze in the following topics:

• Bronze Age Advancements in Mettallurgy

• The Benin Bronzes

  • Bronzes are believed to have been cast in Benin since the 13th century, and some of the Benin Bronzes in the collection date from the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • While the collection is known as the Benin Bronzes, like most West African "bronzes," the pieces are mostly made of brass of variable composition.
  • The Bronzes depict a variety of images, including animals, fish, humans, and scenes of court life.
  • In general, only the king could own objects made of bronze and ivory; however, he could allow high-ranking individuals to use such items, such as hanging masks and cuffs made of bronze and ivory.
  • Modern-day view of bronze casting using the lost wax method.

• Ceramics and Bronze in the Shang Dynasty

  • Bronze vessels, stoneware and pottery vessels, bronze weapons, jade figures, hair combs, and bone hairpins were found.
  • Chinese bronze casting and pottery greatly advanced during the Shang dynasty, with bronze often being used for art as well as for weapons.
  • With the increased amount of bronze available, the army could also better equip itself with an assortment of bronze weaponry.
  • Bronze weapons were an integral part of Shang society, and Shang infantry were armed with a variety of stone and bronze weaponry, including máo (矛) spears, yuè (鉞) pole-axes, gē (戈) pole-based dagger-axes, composite bows, and bronze or leather helmets.
  • Bronze weapons were an integral part of Shang society, and Shang infantry were armed with a variety of stone and bronze weaponry.

• Advancements Under the Shang

  • During the Shang Dynasty, bronze casting became more sophisticated.
  • Since the Shang ruled China during its Bronze Age, perhaps the most important technology at the time was bronze casting.
  • The Shang cast bronze objects by creating molds out of clay, carving a design into the clay, and then pouring molten bronze into the mold.
  • They allowed the bronze to cool and then broke the clay off, revealing a completed bronze object.
  • Bronze objects were also buried in the tombs of Shang elite.

• Art of the Bronze Age

  • The Bronze Age is part of the three-age system of archaeology, which divides human technological prehistory into three periods: the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
  • The Bronze Age took place circa 3,300-1,200 B.C. and is characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacturing of implements and weapons.
  • Bronze Age cultures differed in their development of the first writing.
  • In Ancient Egypt, the Bronze Age begins in the Protodynastic period, circa 3,150 BC .
  • The Chinese bronze artifacts are generally either utilitarian, like spear points or adze heads, or "ritual bronzes," which are more elaborate versions in precious materials of everyday vessels, as well as tools and weapons.

• Bronze Sculpture in the Greek Early Classical Period

  • Bronze was a popular sculpting material for the Greeks.
  • The Greeks used bronze throughout their history.
  • Bronze. c. 460-450 BCE.
  • Bronze. c. 460-450 BCE.
  • Bronze. c. 475 BCE.

• Bronze under the Zhou Dynasty

  • Though iron was introduced to China during the Zhou Dynasty, this period of Chinese history produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making.
  • The bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty document large portions of history not found in the existing texts of the time, and the medium of cast bronze lends the record a permanence not enjoyed by manuscripts.
  • Examples of ritual bronze vessels are the numerous large sacrificial tripods known as dings, along with many other distinct shapes such as gui and zun.
  • Gui are a type of bowl-shaped ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessel used to hold offerings of food and for ancestral tombs.
  • Discuss the advancements and cultural adaptations of the Zhou Dynasty, including bronze and iron-ware.

• Art Under the Zhou Dynasty

  • Under the Zhou dynasty, art forms, including bronze, bronze inscriptions, painting and lacquerware were expanded and become more detailed.
  • Other improvements to bronze objects under the Eastern Zhou included greater attention to detail and aesthetics.
  • This example of bronze inscription was cast on the Song ding, ca. 800 BCE.

• Etruscan Bronze Sculpture

  • Of all metals, bronze is the most commonly cast.
  • The bronze statue demonstrates Etruscan artistic techniques and liveliness, seen in Etruscan terra cotta sculpture, transmitted into the bronze medium.
  • In ancient times, Volterra bronze workers were known for their ability to fuse copper ores with tin to form bronze.
  • Bronze. 3rd century BCE.
  • Bronze. 4th-3rd century BCE.

• Ceramics and Bronze in the Yayoi Period

  • Techniques in metallurgy based on the use of bronze and iron were also introduced to Japan in this period.
  • Along with introducing bronze casting and other technologies into the islands, the Yayoi people brought cultural influences from China and Korea.
  • Chinese influence on the Yayoi culture can be seen in the bronze and copper weapons and other objects of the Yayoi people, as well as irrigated paddy rice cultivation.
  • Three major symbols of Yayoi culture include the bronze mirror, the bronze sword, and the royal seal stone.
  • Yayoi craft specialists also made bronze ceremonial bells, known as dōtaku.