奁 refers to the ancient utensils used to store toiletries, because the mirrors used in ancient clothing are copper mirrors, so in order to prevent long-term exposure to oxidation in the air, please put the mirror in the box. Since mirrors are essential items for dressing, the dressing function is also called mirror dressing and mirror boxes.
The earliest literature can be found in Xu Shen's Shuowen of the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Jingfu. "Leaving Prison" is cut into lian, this work. The note reads: "Mirror box also." "
Dresser box
The box is mainly to fulfill the function of women's makeup box, its original meaning and scope will inevitably expand and change, and the women's items associated with it are often referred to as the box. The box has been used as a dressing tool for women for thousands of years, and its shape and decoration have changed with the development of social consciousness and social productivity. The different forms of the box show us from a subtle point of view the aesthetic consciousness and social concepts of different stages.
It not only exhibits gorgeous external forms, but also has specific cultural meanings and spiritual characteristics.
The makeup box was a small piece of furniture used by women in the ancient deep lock boudoir to apply powder and cosmetics on the mirror. There are usually plenty of drawers in the box that can store rouge, headdresses, jewelry, and other items. The historical evolution of dresser boxes has gone through a long process, including the round lacquer box used by Mrs. Xinhou of the Han Dynasty, the mirror frame of the Song Dynasty, the mirror table of the Ming Dynasty, and the combination of various functions of makeup, storage and photo collection in the Qing Dynasty, such as mirrors.
This process is not only a history of the evolution of dresser style and function, but also a process of people's living habits and cultural changes.
Dressers in ancient furniture are more distinctive, and there are also some differences in decorative methods and techniques from other regions. This is inextricably linked to unique geographical conditions, customs, cultural traditions and other factors.
From the decomposition and analysis of individual cases, we can understand the structure of ancient furniture, material selection, carving, lacquer decoration and other techniques, and refine the charm of local culture.
Unearthed dresser
First, the style characteristics of the dresser
Ancient furniture has high requirements for mortise, but it does not pursue cleverness, and the mortise of Wenzhou furniture basically emphasizes accuracy, comprehensiveness, directness and effectiveness. Both makeup boxes use a traditional dovetail tenon structure. This structure makes the plate-to-plate riveting more safe and reasonable. Like two hands, they don't open at other angles when stuck together. Although the mortise eye is exposed to the edge of the box, the strength of the dovetail mortise is the best among the dovetail mortise, which is more suitable for this type of wood thin and high strength requirements of furniture, and the box is covered with a large area of copper skin, which will also play a role in covering. Both the drawer surface and the two side panels in the box are made of semi-hidden dovetail mortise. The structure does not see the exposed mortise from the front, but the side dovetail mortise is well suited to the mechanical principle of the drawer pull principle.
The frame structure inside the dresser is T-shaped, using the traditional method of making the lattice shoulder mortise and shoulder and shoulder structure. The manufacturing method is quite satisfactory, and the mortise is divided according to the exposure conditions
Mortise and semi-mortise
。 Among them, the tenon adjacent to the box is semi-mortise, and the parts that can be embedded use a mortise structure to increase the firmness between the components. The corners of the base of the makeup box adopt a corner grid structure. This type of structure is at the junction of two pieces of wood
45 degrees
The horns are made and formed after joining
90 degrees
。 This form of mortise is a conventional method of making two wooden horns.
Makeup board
The interior partition and base plate of the makeup box are made of two or more wooden boards. The splicing method is to drill a small hole in the thin side of each thin plate, cut the bamboo into square strips and penetrate the inner hole. Slender bamboo strips instead of mortise connect the planks.
It is estimated that this method is related to wet and rainy climates, as mortise and mortise in furniture expand or contract as the climate changes.
Implantable bamboo nails also help to increase the strength of the furniture.
Second, the early stage of the development of dressing boxes
The earliest recorded box was made of copper during the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The copper edge is 5 cm high, 12 cm long and 5 cm wide.
It is rectangular with a straight wall slightly retracted. There are two small lids that can be separated at the top. Each cover is a nude image of a man and a woman, kneeling face to face. Sitting down in the lower part, there are six humanoid feet, completely naked, with bent knees and hands behind the body. Both surfaces of the lid are decorated with symmetrical trapezoidal patterns, with the main body being a double-layer vertical scale pattern, while the bottom is decorated with a diamond-shaped mesh pattern.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, productivity was still underdeveloped, and people's expectations for survival and reproduction were pinned on the sacrifice of gods. The decorative forms and meanings of bronzes are related to various rituals such as sacrifice, divination, etc. Animals are a way for people to observe the communication between God and the earth.
This themed bronze head, decorated with vertical scales and animal motifs, should pray to the gods for national reproduction, symbolizing the meaning of having many children and grandchildren for future generations.
Pattern on the opening
Lacquerware is mainly wooden tires, some are bamboo tires and copper tires.
During the Warring States period and the Qin and Han dynasties, lacquerware developed rapidly, and in the Western Han Dynasty, due to the female cosmetics of the Han Dynasty, dressings began to increase and became an important item in lacquerware. Cone painting is a decorative painting art commonly used during the Qin and Han Warring States periods. It was innovated in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty and was called Jinjin. It was still used during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The multi-tire paint of the Western Han Dynasty is the representative work of women's makeup boxes in this period.
Take the Western Han Dynasty lacquerware seven sons and four boxes as an example. This set of lacquerware is decorated with folk motifs such as fox and tiger motifs and tangled branches. It crisscrosses and the whole equipment is delicate and delicate, very beautiful. There are 7 small boxes of different sizes and shapes in the big box, all of which are pinch tires. The entire lacquerware is painted first on the inside and outside, and then on the surface of the object with vermilion paint. Patterns and irregular geometric patterns, look closely at each box, but see that the top of the lid is embedded with silver foil with a lion motif, and the top of the lid and the surrounding walls of the largest box are also flattened by silver foil. There are seven useful boxes in the box, all of which contain different items.
Small round boxes are usually filled with fat powder, horseshoe-shaped boxes are often filled with wooden combs and mirrors, and other small boxes are equipped with copper brushes, brushes, and other cosmetics.
Black lacquer depicts gold inlaid with stained teeth makeup
The design, decoration and content of the dozi ring reflect the Han Chinese desire for prosperity. Due to the long war, the population of the early Han Dynasty decreased, and the ruling class urgently needed to increase the population and develop agriculture, which was considered the most important way of life continuation, and also became an important tool carrying the concept of life continuation.
The pottery products of the Han Dynasty were very popular, which was inseparable from the prosperity of the pottery craft at that time, and the pottery technology of the Eastern Han Dynasty also had a new breakthrough. The smooth and sleek fine pottery is visually and tactilely comparable. Lacquerware is comparable, its process is simpler than the lacquerware process, and there are pottery. Most of these pottery are cylindrical, straight-walled, and have Boshan-style lids. They are usually deeper, with three legs at the bottom and earrings next to the animals. It can be used not only as a dresser, but also as a container for storing wine and food.
It can be seen from this that the theme is mainly based on wild beasts, showing the mist-shrouded peaks and mountains in the fairyland, as well as many spirit beasts and fairy birds.
The overall picture is vivid and smooth, and the content is rich. The cover of Boshan Mountain is mostly in the shape of Boshan Mountain, symbolizing the Boshan Mountain of the Three Mountains of xianhai in the legend of the Han Dynasty. Mountains overlap and waves meet. Others are covered with animals such as tigers, monkeys and dragons. Each animal is abstract and concise, with spontaneous beatings and beatings, and also shows the vastness of Boshan.
The use of animal motifs in thin mountain rings is very common and may have a long-term relationship with early totem worship. At the same time, it is also the observation and speculation of ancient people on everything in nature. They realized that celestial bodies were in an immutable state of motion, reflecting the endless movement of life and beauty, which was a powerful force for the natural life of ancient people. The lacquer gods unearthed from the tombs of the Southern Song Dynasty almost no longer had children and mothers, and the cylindrical layered sacredness was the standard musical instrument of this period. The original multi-character ring evolved into a nested multi-layered structure during the Song and Yuan dynasties.
For example, the gold paint of the Southern Song Dynasty garden was divided into multiple layers, each of which was placed with different objects. The gold process is used, in which the pattern is engraved on a painted surface, then filled with paint in the engraving, and then filled with gold powder on it. The whole is lotus petal-shaped and divided into four layers. Wooden tires are painted and tires are painted silver. The cover is engraved with the image of a garden woman. On the scarlet painted ground were carved gold motifs, figures, rocks and flowers. They are all delicate, elegant and ornate, with excellent decorative effects, and the twelve edges of the body are engraved with ornate lotus and peony flowers.
The most representative of the Yuan Dynasty is the group pattern silver satin, which is a silver satin box, but its shape is the same as the lacquer satin,
It is a six-petaled flower, divided into three layers, each layer is equipped with a mouth, a lid on the top, and a tray at the bottom.
The cover surface is engraved with peony flowers,
The outer walls are carved with spring, lotus, okra, plum, reishi, and peony flowers, decorated in gold.
The chiseling is exquisite and meticulous, without exaggeration, which is different from the decorative taste of the frame and reflects the diverse decorative styles of the Yuan Dynasty.
Ivory carved mirror
During this period, the shape of the cylindrical box was mostly petal-shaped, usually six petals, with various petal shapes. Decorative techniques of conical carving were still used at this time, and rhino techniques became popular. The decorative themes of the Xi'an box are mostly various flowers, which are soft and colorful, metaphorically feminine beauty. At the same time, in the Song Dynasty, the literati were more important than ever, and the social status of the literati was higher than ever.
Almost all ethereal and elegant styles are based on the wind and snow in the deep courtyard, and the Red Spring Mountain Stone as a carrier, the decorative theme of the Xi'an box has a lot to do with it here.
Third, the dressing box of the late Ming and Qing dynasties
Under the influence of the Yuan Dynasty in the early Ming Dynasty, cylindrical floral-themed lacquer still existed, but the decorative technique was mostly red ticking, while the floral representation was mainly based on lush greenery. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a circular box appeared, which was a new form of inheritance. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, precious wood was widely used, and the material of dresser boxes began to shift to pure wood, mainly square boxes. The title of Xi is often referred to as a box and seems to apply only to round dressing boxes. The advent of wooden dressers is a huge change in dresser culture. Influenced by Ming and Qing dynasty furniture, the decoration and shape of the dresser reflect the exquisite use of Ming and Qing furniture materials and exquisite decorative techniques, and the heyday of Chinese furniture can still be felt.
Plain lacquer
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Western culture began to enter China. During the Republic of China period, more and more Western elements appeared in Chinese wooden furniture. The most important function is the introduction of glass and mirrors. The Vanity Box was the most affected. Each dresser cover will be equipped with a mirror. The change in shape is to turn the small box in the large box into a flat drawer embedded in the box, and some drawers gradually become square. It is compact and portable, mainly made of hardwood, sometimes using camphor and nan wood,
The appearance is exquisite and beautiful, the structure is ingenious, the ingenuity of each craftsman, the drawers are of different shapes, and some boxes are opened to windows, inlaid with marble, jade and so on.
The style of the dressing box of the Qing Dynasty was a square structure.
The lid can be flipped, and the mirror folds inside the lid. There are no doors or double doors at the front of the enclosure. Most of the doors with double doors are engraved with relief motifs, and the main body is mostly auspicious motifs, such as hundreds of children, talented ladies and beautiful flowers and flowers. There are 3 drawers built on the doors, usually distributed above and below. There is a square base underneath the box, which resembles the makeup box structure of other areas.
The difference is in the overall decoration method.
First of all
Except outside the door, most of the boxes are not carved or painted, but are decorated with copper sheets of different sizes and shapes. Some of the makeup on the makeup case is almost covered with liquid. Each piece of copper skin is engraved with chiseled lines, and the content is mainly flowers, words, ruyi, characters, etc. The incision is lined with colored silk fabric.
secondly
In addition to the relief decoration on the door of the dresser box, the relief will also be embossed with a large area of gold, sand, snails, glue glass and other decorations. In the inhabited areas, such as Wencheng County, Cangnan County, and Taishun County, the bottom of the relief will also be decorated with Chinese red, light green, and blue.
Other than that
In the ancient dresser box of Wenzhou, there is a type with fewer remnants and more local characteristics, that is, the assorted dresser box. The so-called "assortment" refers to the fact that there are more than ten small pieces inside the box, each square has a cover plate, and the base color on the cover plate is expressed in the form of relief, while the carved ornaments are various flowers, fruits, coins, miscellaneous treasures, etc. "Assortment" may come from this.
Gold lacquer
With the continuous development of the times, the decoration and shape of Xi'an boxes are also constantly changing. We explored the culture of Xi'an and the social connotations behind it, which is of great significance for the inheritance and development of today's culture.
As far as design is concerned, while absorbing various ancient shapes and decorative elements, understanding the background behind them can help us better utilize and explore these elements, so cultural inheritance is not only a form of absorption, but what is important is the cultural connotation behind it.
IV. Conclusion
Ancient Women's Costume CultureThe ancient costume culture of the continent first appeared in the Neolithic Age. A bone comb was found at the Zhoujiadun site in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, and a jade ivory comb was found on the Zhoujia M30. In addition to tooth combs and bone combs during the Xia, Shang and Zhou periods, jade combs, copper combs and wooden combs have also been found. The Han Dynasty was the first peak in the development of women's dress culture on the mainland. Lacquer boxes are the carrier and witness of women's clothing culture in the Western Han Dynasty.
Dressing culture is an important part of the ancient etiquette culture of the mainland, and the women's clothing culture of the Western Han Dynasty is a brilliant and glorious era.
? Mid-Qing dynasty gold lacquer multi-treasure box
By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the two dressers were bulky in craftsmanship and structure, which may be one of the reasons for their small stock. Assorted makeup boxes are a type of furniture that needs to be assembled according to different types of work and businesses. It is not large in shape and does not use much wood, but the energy spent and the number of people involved in production are not large. These include the production of carpentry, lacquerware decoration by painters and copperskin carvings chiseled by copper workshop masters. Each of them needs to have a deep understanding of the style and details of this dresser and understand their duties. After a long period of time in these two dressers, the task to be done is precisely through the joint efforts of the whole team that they can be so fascinatingly presented to us, telling us about the lives and tastes of women, continuing to show us the handicrafts that have been passed down, so that people can feel the beauty of the refinement of traditional exquisite craftsmanship. The combination of thick and thin, complex and simple, heavy and light beauty, very clearly shows the artistic style and regional culture of Wenzhou's traditional handicrafts.
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"Sayings"
"Departure"