| Chapter 3: | Was Lost-wax Casting Used in Bronze Age China? |
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34), which would not have been produced had the method proposed by Perspective 2 been used.20
At present, it seems clear that each quarter of the zun rim appendage was neither a combination of numerous precast individual components soldered together nor a single piece cast by the section-mold process. Detailed examination has further ruled out the possibility that the artifact was hammered into shape. It appears that the lost-wax process must have been used, and to this particular vessel set, its use might not be limited to the casting of the zun rim appendages and the pan handle-shaped ornaments (for further discussion, see the final paragraph of chapter 6). Because the Zeng zun-pan is not foreign stylistically, it seems likely that the lost-wax technique was used in China no later than the Late Bronze Age. In the next three chapters, this point will be developed with more examples of lost-wax casting from other sites of this period in China.