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When the majestic wind outside the Guanwai blew into the Central Plains, it also became much gentler and softer. The former mighty atmosphere of the wrench finger was also domesticated by Han culture, and after several generations of Qing emperors, it returned to the track of the Qin and Han dynasties and returned to exquisite elegance. And the one who pushed this wind to the extreme was Qianlong Ye, who was known for his good and great achievements.
By the Qianlong period, the "wrench finger" had thoroughly washed away the wind and dust and become a love object for the princes and nobles to play with, so both in terms of material and workmanship, they had reached an incomparable point, jade, jade, agate, coral, crystal and gold, silver, ivory, enamel, etc., and then decorated with flowers, landscapes, characters and poems, etc. At this time, the extremely luxurious wrench er could not withstand the practicality of the pulling bow and the force of the string and retreated, and the Qianlong Ye's royal wrench finger was even more so. Guo Fuxiang of the Palace Museum said it well: "Royal use is not practical, royal supplies are for enjoyment." ”
Qianlong royal wrench
The author has read some materials, it can be said that from museums to auction houses and stalls, their value ranges from six figures to two or three digits, and the difference is so great that people can't help but ask: How expensive is this wrench and how good is it?
First, how expensive is the royal object?
Usually the Qing Emperor's requirements for the wrench to wear are extremely strict, whether from the process or material at the same time by the Qing Palace office, according to the emperor's wishes and preferences to make the upper pattern, present the royal view confirmation, modification can be made, and the royal wrench finger often has the royal inscription poems, poetic paintings and special ornaments of the carving, so this kind of wrench must be the most skilled craftsman at that time, and the number of such wrench fingers is limited. Such as "Qianlong Year System", "Qianlong Often Play", "Jiaqing Royal Play", "Sanxi Hall" and so on.
Second, officials at all levels and vassal states pay tribute
There are many such records in the "Rehe Letter Paste File" of the Qing Palace, from the forty-first year of Qianlong to the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong, because of Qianlong's love for wrenching fingers, governors and generals from all over the country have successively entered wrench fingers of various materials such as ivory, enamel, leather nail flowers, ink jade and crystal. This type of wrench is slightly less precious than the royal wrench.
Third, the "probe" in this "wrench finger"
The third of these "wrenches" is the prince, the county king, the baylor, the shell and other royal relatives who customize it themselves, and such wrench fingers are often engraved with the private seals of the clan itself. They also rewarded domestic slaves and subordinates, as well as gifts to relatives and friends, because the strictness of the imperial system could not be surpassed even by princes, so generally there were very few inscriptions and depictions on such wrenches, and the craftsmanship and materials could not be used by the royal family. Therefore, the value of this kind of wrench is naturally slightly inferior.
Fourth, the "topaz" in the material
This kind of wrench finger is because this "yellow" word is harmonized with the "emperor", the jade quality of topaz is extremely good, the amount of mining is relatively rare, so the wrench finger made is much rarer, according to the principle of rare things, their value is naturally ranked superior.
Fifth, "wrench fingers" made for jasper, hanjade and ink jade
The wrench made of these three jades is about the fifth, sixth, and seventh places. Jasper wrench finger because of its color beauty, so can often arouse people's good ancient feelings, even the literati and scholars love; han jade wrench inside the old pit Han jade is very slippery, often with skin, grain and blood and other unique effects, so it is also very popular; the material of ink jade because it is relatively rare, common use of gold craftsmanship to highlight, with a deep atmosphere and gold line of noble style, this kind of wrench is also rare.
Sixth, the filigree enamel wrench finger is counted as old as eight, and the crystal wrench finger is numbered as old as nine
The enamel process has a long history, to the Qing Dynasty palace enamelware is mostly large-scale decorations, this kind of enamel wrench finger is seen in the tribute of the provincial governors; the crystal wrench of the South China Sea countries to pay tribute, because of the complexity of the process and because of its inherent fragility, so that they have lost the real opportunity to use, there are few heirlooms, they can not withstand the vicissitudes of the years of "catastrophe".
Seventh, the number of gold and jade made to make up for flaws is ten, and the porcelain wrench finger is ten
The value point of gold and jade is mainly that there are many process characteristics such as hollow gold and carved gold, and the material is also counted as equal, so it is listed in the tenth, which is commonly used in folk custom products; the porcelain wrench fingers arranged in the eleventh place are not their preciousness, but that the porcelain wrenches are not easy to fire, such as carved flowers, inscriptions are rare, if it is a porcelain wrench made according to the traditional craft pattern in the official kiln, then its artistry is also very high.
Eighth, the dozens are rhinoceros horns, the thirteenth and fourteenth are camel bones
Rhino horn material made of wrench is more in line with the Tradition of Qing Dynasty riding archery, because the rhino horn hardness, toughness, good feel, strong sense of light, and it also has the function of self-cleaning, so this kind of wrench is loved by all classes in the Qing Dynasty; the use rate of ivory wrench is higher in all classes, more popular; camel bone wrench is generally a Mongolian custom, there are also Mongolian nobles and Manchu Qing founding heroes used by descendants of the collection, has a certain historical significance.
brief summary
As a small wrench for playthings, although small, they collect a lot of information, they are also a kind of Manchu culture about condensation and integration, is a kind of martial spirit to the scholar-doctor complex transformation, but also a cultural phenomenon. In the author's understanding, their "dignity, inferiority, nobility" has been made a simple combing, and the division of this level is also a view and division for the reference or laughter of enthusiasts.
(The picture and text originate from the original author of the online copyright)
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