Bronze Brazier with Gold and Silver Damascene and Beast Face Motif Side

Many imitation antiques from the Ming and Qing dynasties would take reference from the bronze items during the Shang and Zhou dynasties for their beast face motifs and shapes, but the motifs of the imitation ones would be embedded with gold and silver. Upon close inspections, the motifs were damascened by carving shallow cross-hatched grooves on the metal base and embedding with gold strands or sheets. Originated in Central Asia since the 10th century, damascening was a major way of inlaying iron objects and was widely spread across Eurasia. For imitation antiques from the Ming and Qing such as this bronze brazier, some parts that appeared to be inlaid were actually damascened.