Between piece molds and lost wax: the casting of a diatrete ornamentation in early China rethought

Abstract For a long time, research on the pre-Han (before 202 BCE) Chinese use of lost-wax process was targeted at demonstrating that it no all. That position severely shaken when zun-pan set Zeng Hou Yi (“Marquis Zeng,” d. 433 unearthed Hubei Suizhou in 1978, along with subsequently excavated finds or rediscovered artifacts carrying similarly interpenetrating openwork. Since early 2000s, however, there has been persistent revival orientation against Bronze Age China. After surging first academia, new tide took some time to arrive West. A response Donna Strahan’s prestigious lecture, “Debating Use Lost-wax Casting Ancient China,” this article presents my thinking about lost wax versus piece molds casting practices. studied “diatrete” ornamentation Metropolitan Museum Art, me, can be securely identified as cast thanks telltale traces. Through critical investigation, I invite fellow art historians, archaeologists, and historians metal technology emerge from “doubting wax” era tackle challenges archaeo-metallurgy.