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How did piece-mold casting create ancient Chinese bronze vessels?
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Chinese bronzes
Bronze gu from Anyang, Henan province, China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bce); in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Mo.
The piece-mold (or sectional-mold) casting process was a sophisticated technique used to create ancient Chinese bronzes. The process involved several precise steps:
- Modeling: Artisans first created a clay model of the desired object.1
- Molding: This model was encased in clay, which was then cut into three or four sections to serve as the mold.1
- Core Preparation: For vessels, the original model was trimmed down to form a core, which created the vessel's internal cavity.1
- Assembly: The mold sections were reassembled around the core, using metal spacers to maintain the necessary distance between the mold and the core.1
- Casting: Molten bronze—an alloy of copper, tin, and sometimes lead—was poured into the assembly.1
- Finishing: Once the metal cooled, the mold was broken away, and the vessel was polished to remove flaws or excess material.1
Intricate patterns were often incised directly into the mold to ensure fine details transferred to the final object, while components like handles and legs were frequently cast separately and attached later.1