In 1772, a pair of golden phoenix hairpins made by the Ming Dynasty silversmithing bureau were unearthed from the tomb of Hubin and his wife in Mingyizhu, Nancheng.
This phoenix hairpin is 10.5 centimeters high and the hairpin's feet are 12.5 centimeters high. It weighs 2 taels and 2 coins.
The golden phoenix hairpin is wrapped with money and gold pieces of varying thicknesses.
The golden phoenix's toes, which hold a cloud firmly, are also woven with gold threads of varying thicknesses.
The hairpin feet protruding from the clouds are vivid in shape and delicate in technique, showing the level of gold and silver craftsmanship in the early Ming Dynasty.
During this period, a large number of top craftsmen emerged.
Not to mention other things, Chen Wenzhe is very familiar with the jade master Lu Zigang.
Most of Chen Wenzhe's carving techniques were learned from this master, or a great master?
Now Chen Wenzhe knows that Lu Zigang is not only a great sculptor, he is also a master of inlay.
Historical records record that Lu Zigang, a master of jade carving and inlay in the Ming Dynasty, made many achievements in filigree inlay technology.
Lu Zigang came from a well-known family. Due to the decline of his family, he came to Hengshan, Su City, and the area of Xinguo Yujia Village, Hengtang Town, since he was a child. It was the center of jade carving in those days.
He learned jade carving in this place, and after completing his studies in the 18th year of Jiajing (1539), he established his own business.
Later, he moved his workshop to the increasingly prosperous Zhuanzhu Lane in Changmen.
According to the "Mudu Town Chronicles" and the Palace Museum information, the Zigang Workshop founded by Lu Zigang involved a wide range of craftsmanship.
"Mudu Town Chronicles" records: "In addition to jade, its carvings include bamboo, wood, stone, and even filigree inlays, all of which are accomplished."
"The Forbidden City" published by the Palace Museum records: "Lu Zigang is good at round carvings, openwork carvings, negative carvings, inlays with gold and silver wire, and inlays with precious stones."
To sum up, Lu's Zigang Workshop was already a jewelry workshop with a rich variety of products.
Chen Wenzhe had seen these when he got the Zigang tablet, but his main goal of learning at that time was carving, not inlaying.
It's different now, he needs to use mosaic technology.
Besides, he has no shortage of gems and gold now. With so many raw materials, he can make some jewelry at will.
Of course, before doing it, one needs to learn the craftsmanship of the palace manufacturing office of the Qing Dynasty.
After all, no matter what era we are in, we are constantly making progress.
The technology of the Ming Dynasty was very powerful, but the real eight unique skills of Yanjing were formed in the Qing Dynasty.
All of this cannot but be said about the Qing Palace Manufacturing Office, which was truly the top handicraft manufacturing base.
Chen Wenzhe really didn't expect that if he wanted to make cloisonne this time, he would be able to learn the Eight Secrets of Yanjing.
Through the Eight Arts of Yanjing, Chen Wenzhe actually saw the craftsmanship inheritance of the entire Qing Palace Building Office.
There are so many craftsmanships here.
If he understands everything, he can directly build the world's most luxurious luxury goods manufacturing base.
If it can really be built and all the skills he has acquired can be passed down, then all foreign luxury brands can die in the future.
You know, the Qing Palace Construction Office was dedicated to serving the royal family.
So what can he do after he learns it?
It can be said that it involves all aspects of life.
In other words, as long as it can be used in life, it can be made, and it can be made into the top luxury goods!
The things made by the Qing Palace Manufacturing Office, no matter what kind of ordinary things they are, are truly top-notch luxuries, or simply top-notch works of art.
Every piece of work made here can last forever and become a truly rare antique.
And all of this is inseparable from the Qing Palace Building Office.
During the Kangxi period, a manufacturing office was established in the Yangxin Hall of the palace.
The Manufacturing Office was affiliated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Palace and was a specialized agency responsible for manufacturing royal supplies.
The "Manufacture Office" has "Silver Works", which includes ten types of work such as silver decomposition, alchemy, silk making, and engraving, with hundreds of people, and specializes in gold and silver jewelry, utensils, etc.
Outstanding varieties include gold chimes, which are engraved with relief cloud and dragon patterns and titles such as "Yellow Bell" and "Lüpin";
The seven-level pagoda is made of gold wire, inlaid with red, blue, and green gemstones, and is engraved with fine patterns, which is more gorgeous than brocade.
There are also gold crowns, etc., which are made of gold wire and woven jewelry.
The manufacturing office serving the royal family gathered the most skilled craftsmen from all over the country.
Coupled with the metal treasures presented as tribute by officials from various places, filigree inlays, which inherited the excellent skills of the Ming Dynasty, further prospered.
The ruling class of the Qing Dynasty respected Tibetan Buddhism, and the themes of the utensils were broader than those of the Ming Dynasty, and the religious color was also obviously strong.
During this period, when Qianlong held the opening ceremony on New Year's Day every year, the special wine cup-Jinou Yonggu cup was the most representative.
If we talk about filigree and jade crafts, then it is represented by the Qianlong golden silk jade-studded Ruyi-shaped hairpin from the Qing Dynasty.
During the Qing Dynasty, the gold wire inlay industry had a more detailed division of labor and gradually moved towards specialized production.
The entire industry is divided into 11 majors including execution, inlaying, chiseling, saving, blue-burning, jade-making, gold-plating, plating, wire drawing, and beading.
Among them, actual setting and collection are the main parts of the industry.
In these two parts, there are independent products and complete production processes.
The rest of the industries are all processing types, but the collaborative relationship is very close.
The style of gold and silver craftsmanship in the palace of the Qing Dynasty was different from that of the Ming Dynasty. It was more sophisticated and mainly focused on chiseling and inlaying.
For example, the "Golden Branches and Jade Leaves" large bonsai displayed in the Jewelry Museum of the Forbidden City is a bonsai made of gemstones.
The Qing Palace Construction Office made a lot of bonsai like this.
It can be said that most of the palace treasures of the Qing Dynasty collected by the Palace Museum were produced under the orders of the Construction Office, the agency in charge of construction in the Forbidden City.
Others are tributes from local officials during festivals and festivals.
Most of these treasures are made of precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, jade, pearls, and various gemstones, and are designed and manufactured by famous craftsmen from all over the world!
Throughout the production process, every effort was made and no expense was spared!
Therefore, a piece of work often takes years to complete!
The workmanship of this group of "golden branches and jade leaves" is like a bonsai, which is very characteristic of the palace!
The blooming prosperity is set against the backdrop of green leaves, and a cloisonné pot with auspicious and elegant patterns is used as the base. The craftsmen carefully design, polish, carve, and connect and combine in a variety of ways to create a pot that is invincible in all seasons and evergreen for a hundred years.
The beautiful scenery is full of flowers.
In the Qing palace, there was not only one luxury item like this, but a large number of them.
There are many representatives among them, such as the large hanging screen of "Dotted Kingfisher and Bird", the silver-burnt blue "Crane and Deer in Spring", etc.
These art forms are innovative, and the craftsmanship combines technical techniques such as chiseling, refining, inlaying, dotting, and blue-burning.
Even gold and silver craftsmanship and jade carving craftsmanship are combined with each other and can be used freely.
So far, our country's gold and silver craftsmanship has developed to a very high level.
After that, the Qing Dynasty's national power weakened and its craftsmanship began to decline.