中國古代的銅器、玉器，由於其不易腐朽的材質特性，使他們能在人類文明的早期，即被選擇作為象徵「恆久」的禮器素材，其諸多「古」的特質均成為以後各代倣古者從中抽取的資源，色澤是其中極重要的特質之一。器物的色澤在晚明清初成為鑑古、賞古、倣古者必然注意的現象，尤其是古銅器表面的�蛈漶A古玉器的沁斑等，均成為「古」的指標之一。 本文嘗試從晚明清初（十六至十七世紀）的文本資料中整理出當時人的「古色」觀，探討主導倣古作色的知識背景，以及在作色技術上的發展，並利用顯微鏡觀察作色的實例，了解當時此一技術實際操作的情形。以褐色（臘茶色）為主的「古色觀」，在當時主導整個倣古作色的風潮，相應於此一風潮所發展出的作色法，有「寒法」與「?法」二種，前者作法較簡單，惟作出的色層清楚，色感略嫌呆滯；後者工序較繁複，惟所作出之色與器表幾乎融為一體，見不出色層，呈色透明而富於質感，是晚明清初較為講究的倣古所人常用的方法。

　　　　　The durability of bronze and jade led to their use as ritual objects symbolizing constancy in early China. The "antique" qualities of these objects made them ideal resources for the archaizing impulses of later generations. Color was one of the most important of these qualities. In the late Ming and early Ch'ing, tinge and hue were matters of great concern for connoisseurs and imitators of antiquities. Of particular importance were the patinas of bronze and the variegated patterns of jade, both of which were treated as indicators of antiquity. The present essay attempts to reconstruct the conceptualization of "antique hue" found in seventeenth and eighteenth century writings, and thereby explore the connoisseurial context that guided efforts to mimic archaic color effects. It also examines the development of techniques used for imitating archaic hues, using microscopic analysis to investigate several examples of color reproduction. The conceptualization of antique hue in late Ming and early Ch'ing China placed particular emphasis on the color of preserved tea (brown), which in turn led to development of specific techniques for imitating this color. These techniques included the so-called "chilling method" (han fa) and "warming method" (yun fa). The former was relatively simple, but it produced a distinct layer of color with a dull texture. The latter involved a higher degree of skill, but it produced a translucent and textured color that merged seamlessly with the rest of piece, showing no signs of layering. This more sophisticated technique was the one used most frequently by craftsmen of reproduction antiques.