Chapter 1922: The carving is sharp, but there is no grinder
The mid-Ming Dynasty refers to the period from Xuande to before Jiajing. During this period, government-run workshops came to a standstill.
Most of the existing lacquerware from the mid-Ming Dynasty is carved lacquerware. No matter the lacquering techniques, decorative patterns, lacquer colors, or the fineness of workmanship, they do not have the unified characteristics and style patterns of the imperial lacquerware of the early Ming Dynasty.
Showing the distinctive characteristics of different regions, folk lacquerware plays the leading role, and the decorative themes are mainly flowers and birds. There are no dragon and phoenix decorations on the lacquerware.
During the Jiajing and Wanli period of the late Ming Dynasty, the lacquerware produced was mainly carved lacquerware with red and colored lacquers.
The characteristics of lacquer carving are that there is less polishing, the brocade is fine and dense, and the knife is clumsy and heavy.
The style of the late Ming Dynasty continued into the early Qing Dynasty.
Jiajing lacquerware mostly uses immortality and longevity as decorative themes, with flowers and animals becoming immortal grass and auspicious animals;
Wanli lacquerware, double dragons, double phoenixes, auspicious clouds, sea water and river cliffs have become the main decorative themes.
By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, in addition to dragons and phoenixes, lions and sea animals also became common symbols of good luck.
Ming Jiajing Green Land Inscribed Red Double Dragon Pattern Silver Ingot Plate, Ming Jiajing Inscribed Color Double Dragon Fortune, Longevity and Ping An Ling Fancy Plate, Ming Jiajing Inscribed Red Phoenix and Crane Birthday Pattern Official Leather Box, etc., both in terms of decorative themes and production techniques, they are all standard styles in the late Ming Dynasty.
, an important official weapon.
Rhinoceros of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties are another important category, characterized by their early age and few high-quality products.
The method is similar to that of picking paint, that is, using two or eight colors of paint on the underside of the utensils, painting them irregularly.
In the 10th year of Xianfeng's reign (1860), the Taiping Army captured Su City and Su City's carved lacquer workshops ceased production.
Regardless of white noodles or vermilion noodles, as long as it has a single, irregular pattern like carved clouds or curly grass patterns, it is called ticking rhinoceros.
The themes of Nanyun carved lacquer are rarely drawn from various natural scenes.
Usually there are no white, purple or red faces.
In the cultural industry of Shendu, it is commonly known as "Yun Diao" and neon is called "Qu Lun".
In addition to those lacquer carvings, rhinoceros rhinoceros is also a kind of lacquer carving.
In fact, utensils of that style were first seen in the Southern Song Dynasty white flower and arabic pattern plate at the Neon Nezu Museum of Art.
Apart from this, there is no other type of carved lacquer with a general style.
In addition, there are some works from the Ming Dynasty, such as a bowl with a clear red peony pattern, a square plate with a water chestnut pattern and a clear white lion pattern, and a round plate with a clear red lion ball pattern.
Those are the characteristics of Zangfeng's carved lacquer, which directly affected the carved lacquer production in the late Ming Dynasty and the Qianlong generation.
The lattice-shaped peony stamens are a characteristic of the Southern Song Dynasty. They are similar in style to the Southern Song Dynasty plate at the Nejin Museum of Art, and the carving method is also different.
According to documentary records, that style appeared in the mid-Ming Dynasty and was called "Nanyun carved lacquer", or "Dian work".
In the early Qing Dynasty, were there any carved lacquerware of unknown date found? The lacquerware in the mid-Qing Dynasty specifically refers to the lacquerware that was dominated by the court during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
Yangshi is good at antique style and rarely focuses on landscapes and figures.
Those are yellow lacquered plain embossed with flower or animal patterns. The carvings are sharp and polished, but the patterns are jumping and smart, full of wild charm.
That kind of deep-belly bowl is also a unique bowl shape in the Song Dynasty.
Carved lacquerware from the mid-Qing Dynasty was the most important variety in Zeng Zaizhai’s lacquerware collection. The quantity was small and the quality was low. This book only selects many of them.
For example, a small rhinoceros-cut bowl from the Song Dynasty. The paint color, texture, decoration and shape of the bowl are almost the same as the Ruyi cloud-patterned rhinoceros bowl from the Northern Song Dynasty unearthed in Zhangjiagang, Shazhou, Sujiang.
The paint color is bright red, the carving is fine, the patterns are complex, and the production is rigorous.
It also includes the lacquer ware of the Jiaqing period that was influenced by it, and specifically refers to the Qianlong style lacquer ware. Carved lacquer is the most important variety of lacquer craftsmanship.
However, in the Qing Dynasty, the carving and lacquer painting focused on engraving and polishing, striving to be fine, delicate, and realistic, and the paint layer became thicker and thicker.
The carvings are becoming more and more detailed, the depth of field is pushed further and further, and the composition is dense and has few layers, making it look longer than it is seen, giving people a feeling of being too delicate, fragmented, and cumbersome.
In particular, the "Made in the Longqing Year of the Ming Dynasty" model with red double dragons playing with pearls pattern bowl was produced in the Longqing Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty only six years ago. According to published statistics, there are no more than 10 Longqing official lacquerware that have been handed down so far, which is extremely precious.
It is no longer the gourd-shaped ewer with red roux pattern from the 17th to 18th century of the Ming Dynasty.
The later Southern Song Dynasty's large double-door cabinet with a white peony-patterned top is another early witness, which is of great significance to the study of the origin of Nanyun carved lacquer.
Such as flowers, insects, fish, birds, and animals, full of life.
There are many works from the Ming Dynasty, such as a rectangular box with a red double phoenix pattern in the Ming Dynasty, a cornered square plate with a red auspicious lion and ball pattern in the mid-Ming Dynasty, a holding box with a red auspicious animal pattern in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and a red auspicious animal pattern in the late Ming Dynasty.
Phoenix pattern plate.
Seven years ago, Qianlong basically sent samples to Suzhou for production, and then sent them back to the palace for engraving.
According to the Palace Museum's analysis of the Qing imperial archives, it is speculated that the production of palace lacquerware in the Qing Dynasty began in the eighth year of Qianlong's reign. Initially, lacquerware was carved by ivory carving craftsmen from the manufacturing office.
That large cabinet does not have the craftsmanship of Nanyun lacquerware. When did the style of Nanyun lacquerware end? It is worth discussing.
The levels and intensity of the relief gradually weakened, and the brocade pattern became more and more elaborate, with very few changes.
For example, if you look at the paint layer with a low-magnification microscope, you can see that the paint layer is alternating between vermilion and white.
The paint layer is thin, the paint color is dark, the pattern is fine, and the edges and corners are polished under the carving to expose the peaks and edges.
From the Yuan Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty, there were many lacquer carvings, dense patterns, and slightly exposed yellow lacquer. This was based on the lacquer color and knife skills, focusing on the ruddy and smooth lacquerware.
The lacquer carvings of the Qing Dynasty inherited the style of the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty. Under the carving skills, they continued to maintain the technique of handling the knife like a pen, showing the beauty of sharp edges.
That style of carved lacquer works in the opposite direction, with fewer carvings. The surface of the lacquerware is removed in a small area, leaving only the top ridge of the pattern, which looks delicate and delicate.
Like a small bowl made of rhinoceros from the Song Dynasty, the whole body is purple, the lacquer is translucent, and it is as beautiful as amber. Through the surface lacquer, the eight vermilion lines can be seen through the turbidity.
A large double-door cabinet with a peony-patterned ceiling from the Southern Song Dynasty. The lacquer is firm and moist, the color is bright and white, and the color is red, without the visual effect of amber.
The characteristics of carved lacquerware in the mid-Qing Dynasty are that the shape of the vessel rarely changes, and literary imagery is used sparingly. The pattern must be meaningless and the meaning must be auspicious.
Before the mid-Qing Dynasty, carved lacquerware declined, and the level of carved lacquerwork was as low as ever.
Although it has spanned several centuries, it is impossible to tell how many layers there are, but at most four layers can be seen that do not alternate between red and white.
When it reaches a certain thickness, use a knife to pick out the curly grass, Ruyi clouds, etc. are all the same patterns, and the cross section of the knife edge reveals the same color paint layer.
In addition to Sushi, Yangshi is also an important producer of carved lacquer.
There are not many lacquerwares of that style, such as the large double-door cabinet with white peony pattern and top from the Southern Song Dynasty.
Generally, it is a carriage box with a red sea dragon pattern carved in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. It is exquisite in workmanship. The tea cups and other items in the box are all made of red gold. The matching tea sets are basically preserved and broken, which is very precious.
This large cabinet was once displayed in the Neon Shishu National Museum. Researchers conducted a thorough comparative study on the lacquer quality, patterns, etc., and concluded that this cabinet does not have the characteristics of the Southern Song Dynasty carved lacquer.
The plum blossom-shaped holding box carved by the Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the red double-dragon treasure box carved by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the Cong-style box with colorful birthday celebration pictures carved by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the handle box with red sea dragon patterns carved in the mid-Qing Dynasty are all outstanding examples of Qianlong's lacquer carvings. They are among the best in the Forbidden City.