Corinthian bronze

Corinthian bronze (Latin: aes Corinthium frequently Corinthium aes ) is a valued since ancient alloy, their production and use can be detected in ancient Egypt but. The alloy whose name changed according to time and place, copper based with a mix of precious metals like gold and silver. Ancient sources perform as main ingredients, usually copper, and additions of max. 5 % gold, silver, lead, tin, arsenic or iron on. With newer uses will, however, apart from the use of toxic components in the rule. Corinthian bronze was mainly used for the production of statues and luxury items. The most famous centers for the production were in the Greco- Roman period at Corinth and Aegina and Delos.

Loss of knowledge of the preparation

Production and use of "black gold of antiquity " can be traced to the Egyptian Black Bronze ( Egyptian name name: HSMN -KM or NMTI -KM ) trace. A turning point was not held until with the spread of Christianity. Thus, the displacement of the knowledge of Corinthium Aes from the Mediterranean took place parallel to the migration of the early Christian heretical monks as a result of the political and religious changes in the period after the Council of Ephesus in 431 gradually wandered the alchemical knowledge to the east, where a time delay in Syria, Persia, India and China can demonstrate evidence of this technology in the form of traditions and artifacts over again. The Japanese Irogane alloys, including Shakudo, dive, according to current knowledge, only later on.

Rediscovery

The exact details of ancient sources, mostly Roman origin, the composition of the Corinthium Aes, such as Pliny: Natural History, 34.5, describing it as a blend of copper, silver and gold, have long been of the experts questioned, since one could not see any point in the Edelmetallzusetzung to achieve a black patina and the thesis advocated, it These were confusion or misinterpretation of the translator. At the same black -colored metal deposits of ancient objects have been mistaken for niello. The Archäometallurgin Alessandra R. Giumlia - Mair of the University of Udine and Paul T. Craddock of the British Museum lead the theory in her book of that there is a connection between black patinated alloys antique objects from Egypt, Palestine, Mycenae, the Roman Empire and such objects of recent times from some Asian countries with the same or similar composition and black patina, caused by additions of precious metal. Through the analysis of various ancient objects they were able to prove their thesis, and thus the relationship between Egyptian Black Bronze, Mycenaean Kyanos and the Roman Corinthium Aes implied.

In 1993 they had the interdisciplinary research team Alessandra Giumlia - Mair and Matthias teaching by evaluating the analytical data and the implementation of each Faced recipes from both the ancient tradition and of modern sources for the first time a resynthesis of Corinthium Aes. The most comprehensive formula provides the font " on the preparation and staining of Corinthian bronze or black metal " of the alchemists Zosimus of Panopolis from the 2nd century in the form of a written by the Syrian Jacobites in early medieval copy of the manuscript, now located in the University of Cambridge, 1893 translated into French by Marcellin Berthelot. At an international archaeological conference on the first use of metals and alloys, 25 - 27th May 1998 in Matsue, they provided evidence for the operation of the method and the accuracy of ancient sources. In a further joint work, they studied on the basis of experimental samples workability and precious metal alloys Patinierbarkeit function of further alloying additions and various Patinierbädern. It was, inter alia, spring water of Peirene, as Pausanias describes involved.

Developments in Germany

Through the work of the goldsmith M. teaching could dispense with the problematic additives arsenic and lead and a reduction of the precious metal content can be achieved at the same Patinierbarkeit, as you can see its publications and events since 2001. One of the most interesting for gold and silver properties is caused by skin contact always nachbildene aubergine - black patina, which happens no scarring of the jewelry. The formation of the patina is effected by oxidation of copper alloy with oxygen in the air and sweat.

A Renaissance as metal and redeployment in the field of jewelery design / production site in Germany experienced Corinthium aes also by the use in Mokume -Gane Damask since 2003. Due this was the cheaper price as palladium, white gold and gold, its good processability as well as its interesting color change (from copper colored to dark brown, almost black) and the Vernarbungsfreiheit. Corinthian ore does not belong here to the classical Japanese, Mokume -Gane Damask materials and was only after 2000 that tried and add taken through a series of Mokume Gane artists.