Historical relics with Chinese national characteristics - lacquerware

Lacquerware as a very rich Chinese national characteristics of historical relics, has a long history, Chinese lacquerware from the Neolithic era to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, stretching for thousands of years, brilliant and colorful lacquerware craft is a beautiful flower in the treasure house of Chinese national culture.

Lacquerware is made of wood or other materials, lacquered utensils, with practical function and appreciation value. China is the first country in the world to recognize the characteristics of lacquer and can adjust lacquer into various colors for beautification and decoration. A 7,000-year-old wooden tire red lacquer bowl excavated in 1973 at the hemudu primitive society site in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, unveiled the first glorious page in the history of Chinese lacquerware manufacturing.

During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, people began to plant lacquer trees, and craftsmen decorated utensils with colored lacquer and carving, and decorated patterns with turquoise, screw and so on as inlay materials. A batch of lacquerware fragments have been excavated from the Taixi Shang Dynasty site in Gaocheng, Hebei Province, which are exquisitely made and the craftsmanship has reached a very high level.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, lacquerware technology flourished, from the Large number of exquisite lacquerware excavated from the Chu Tombs in Jiangling, Hubei and Changsha, Hunan, the type of lacquer tires was used for thin wood and mounted linen, spiral wood, sandwich and leather tires. There are many varieties, there are ear cups, plates, several, cases, daggers, shields and musical instruments, etc., decorated with hunting patterns, character patterns, dragon and phoenix patterns, bird and beast patterns, cloud patterns, etc., in terms of decorative techniques, there are shadow paintings, silver buckles, gold, etc., the pattern colors are vivid, the brushwork is vivid and powerful, and the ornaments are lively and beautiful, such as "double tiger double phoenix pattern lacquer drum rack", "painted through carving small seat screen", etc., are outstanding works in this period.

Painted double tiger double phoenix pattern lacquer drum frame Warring States

Height 117 cm From the collection of Hubei Provincial Museum

It was excavated in 1965 at the Wangshan Chu Tomb in Jiangling, Hubei Province. Wooden tire, drum frame is two phoenix birds standing opposite each other, the phoenix head is high, in the crown of the two phoenix head with drum rope and make the drum dangling, the two phoenix feet are stepping on a crouching tiger as a drum seat, the two tigers lie opposite each other, the whole drum frame is black paint, on it with red, yellow, blue and other color paint according to different parts of the depiction of the tiger's stripes and phoenix bird's beak, eyes and wings and feathers on the body, delicate painting, beautiful and evocative.

Painted Mandarin duck pattern lacquer box Warring States

Length 20.4 cm Height 16.3 cm Collection of Hubei Provincial Museum

It was excavated in 1978 from the tomb of Marquis Yi zeng of Sui County, Hubei Province. Wooden tires, this box-shaped exquisite, make a mandarin duck shape, the head is flattened, the neck is a cylindrical mortise, the insert body can be rotated, the body is hollowed out, a rectangular square hole in the back, and the upper cover is a relief dragon. The whole body is painted with black paint, red paint is painted with feathers, some dots are painted with yellow paint, the left side of the abdomen is painted with the scene of the bell striking and the rock, and the right side is painted with an image of the drumming dance. It cleverly uses a Mandarin duck as a box shape, with a peculiar shape and exquisite ornamentation.

The lacquerware of the Qin Dynasty is the most representative of the excavations of the Sleeping Tiger in Hubei Yunmeng. In the Han Dynasty, lacquerware technology reached an unprecedented period of prosperity in history, and there were many varieties of lacquerware, and many large pieces of utensils such as lacquer dings, lacquer coffins, etc., as well as ear cups, lacquer plates, boxes, folders, cases, and so on. The decorative pattern mainly includes cloud patterns, animal patterns include tigers, deer, pigs, sheep, roe deer, turtles, dragons and phoenixes and monsters, etc., and the character patterns include hunting, dancing, immortals, etc., in addition to a small number of plant patterns. In terms of decorative techniques, it is still mainly painted, and there are also techniques such as needle carving, copper buckle, and gold pieces, and the works show rich colors, unrestrained lines, gorgeous and exquisite, and vivid characteristics, of which more than 500 pieces of lacquerware excavated from the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province in 1972 represent the highest level of lacquerware in the Han Dynasty.

Painted dark cloud pattern round box Qin

Height 18.5 cm Caliber 21 cm Collection of Hubei Provincial Museum

It was excavated in 1976 at Qin Tomb No. 11 in Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Land, Hubei Province. Wooden tires, composed of a lid and a body, the round box is covered with red paint on the inside, and the black tires are used as the base on the outside, and the vermilion paint is painted with cloud patterns, cirrus clouds and variant bird patterns, and the pattern is flowing, there is a strong sense of rotation, showing the superb craftsmanship and painting level.

Painted lacquer clock Western Han Dynasty

Height 57 cm Abdominal diameter 35 cm Hunan Provincial Museum collection

It was excavated in 1972 at The No. 1 Tomb of Mawangdui in Changsha, Hunan Province. Spinning wooden tires, the outer wall has obvious spiral marks, thick tires, which have a lid on it, and the lid has 3 orange-yellow "S" shaped buttons. Extravagant mouth, long neck, round belly, circle foot. The inner wall of the vessel is painted with red paint, the instrument table is based on black paint, the mouth edge is painted with a polyline pattern, dot pattern, the neck is painted with a deformed bird pattern, the shoulders and abdomen are painted with three solid vermilion and gray-green geometric cloud patterns, smooth and free, the wind and clouds flow, covered with cloud gas patterns, and the outsole Zhushu "stone" character is used for serving wine.

The lacquerware of the Wei and Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties, the technique of clamping silk developed to a peak, and the lacquer was shaped with lacquer ash and pasted with linen cloth as a lacquer tire, which was used to make large Buddha statues, and the high skill and complexity of the process reached a new height.

Lacquerware of the Tang and Song dynasties, gold and silver flat off prevailed, its decoration is to cut gold and silver flakes into various patterns to paste on the paint surface with glue paint, after drying and then three layers of lacquer, after grinding and showing the honeysuckle pattern, the work is exceptionally gorgeous. In addition, the Tang Dynasty also created the carving and lacquer process, laying the foundation for the carving and lacquer process of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Song Dynasty, inlaid screw lacquerware was greatly developed.

Screw character flower bird paint back mirror Don

Diameter 23.9 cm Side thickness 0.5 cm Collection of the National Museum of China

It was excavated in 1955 from the Tang tombs on the outskirts of Luoyang, Henan. The mirror is round, round buttons, the back of the mirror is inlaid with thick tungsten flakes, and in the middle of the bronze mirror is a large tree with lush flowers and leaves, a bright moon in the treetops, several birds and finches jumping on branches, a dog crouching under the tree, and a parrot spreading its wings. To the left and right of the mirror button, there are two old people sitting on the ground in front of the tree, the left one plays Ruan Xian, the right one raises a glass to drink, between which the wine pot and wine are placed, a maid is placed behind, below is a crane dancing, mandarin ducks playing in the water, blank space dotted with flowers, grasses and stones, a tranquil atmosphere of a paradise.

Garden Lady Figure Golden Lotus Petal Shaped Zhu Lacquer Southern Song Dynasty

Height 21.3 cm Diameter 19.2 cm Collection of Changzhou Museum, Jiangsu Province

It was excavated in 1977 from the tomb of the Southern Song Dynasty in Wujin, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. The tire is wooden, lacquer is the ancient women's dressing utensils, this is a twelve-sided lotus petal shape, the whole utensils are made of cover, plate, body and bottom four layers of combination, along the mouth are inlaid with silver buckles, the inside of the vessel is black paint, the outer beard is painted, with gold as a decoration, the cover is painted with gold "Garden Lady Figure", the second lady combs the high bun, a lady cup holding a fan, a lady gently shakes the folding fan, the arm is slowly walking, there are girls next to them, holding a long-necked bottle to stand, the garden paving path, mountain stones, willow trees contrasting, the scenery is quiet, a spring scenery.

Yuan Dynasty lacquerware, famous artists, the most significant development of works in carving lacquer. Carved lacquer, also known as red culling, refers to the pure use of red lacquer varieties, with yellow paint called culling yellow, black and red called culling rhinoceros. First of all, dozens or hundreds of layers of lacquer are applied to the lacquer tire, and when it is slightly dry, various patterns are carved on the lacquer layer. At that time, the famous painters were Zhang Cheng and Yang Mao of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, and their works were comprehensive in technology and wide in subject matter, showing a rounded carving method, hidden edge, concise composition, thick and attractive style, which had a great influence on the carving and lacquer process in the early Ming Dynasty.

Red gardenia pattern disc yuan

Height 2.6 cm Diameter 16.5 cm Collection of the Palace Museum

Wooden tires, round, circle feet. In the middle of the plate is carved a blooming double-petal gardenia pattern, next to which are carved four buds with buds to bloom, the branches and leaves are thick, the curls are free, the dense and orderly, the pattern is all over the disk, the layers are clear, the carving knife method is smooth, the grinding is round, and the knife marks are not exposed. The bottom foot is black painted, and there is a "Zhang Chengzao" needle stroke book near the foot. The plate is bright red in color, pure in color and prominent in theme.

The production of lacquerware in the Ming Dynasty tended to be more prosperous, with a wide range of products, and the production process was greatly developed. During the Yongle period in the early Ming Dynasty, there was a government-run "orchard factory", which was presided over and managed by Zhang Degang, the son of Zhang Cheng, a famous carving lacquer artist in the Yuan Dynasty, and the two major varieties of carved lacquer and filled lacquer were exquisitely produced, called "factory system". The production of folk lacquerware throughout the north and south, there have been many famous lacquer artists, Zhejiang Ningbo, Jiangsu Suzhou gold paint is very famous, Suzhou artists Jiang Huihui and Yang Xi are gold paint masters. And Yangzhou is rich in hundred treasures inlaid lacquerware, the famous artist is Zhou Yi, the work is called "Zhou System", Hundred Treasures inlay is made of coral, agate, amber, tortoiseshell, screw, ivory, turquoise, wax, rhino horn, jade and other precious materials to make patterns of pearlescent treasure, gorgeous lacquerware. And the screw is divided into hard screw and soft screw, the famous artist is Jiang Qianli of Jiaxing. Huang Dacheng, a famous lacquer artist of the Ming Dynasty, wrote the "Record of Lacquer Decoration", which summarizes the achievements of lacquer craftsmanship in the mainland for thousands of years, and is a lacquer art monograph in ancient times.

Red floral pattern lid bowl Ming

Height 16 cm Caliber 20.2 cm Collection of the Palace Museum

This bowl is a wooden tire, with a lid, round, circled feet, a spherical button on the lid, carved Ganoderma lucidum, beautiful shape, the lid and the bowl are carved with blooming peony flowers, the flowers are huge, the branches are luxuriant. On the mouth of the bowl and on the foot, a pattern of echo patterns is carved, and the black paint inside the foot has a "Daming Yongle Year" needle stroke. The shape of the vessel is dignified, the carving is exquisite, and the layers are rich.

Black paint depicts the golden dragon pattern medicine cabinet Ming

Height 94.1 cm Length 78.9 cm Width 57 cm Collection of the National Museum of China

The outside of the cabinet is double open, and there is a set of octagonal rotary drawers in the middle of the cabinet, a total of 80. There is a long set of drawers on each side, a total of 20, each drawer is written with the name of the drug, the whole cabinet can hold 140 kinds of medicines, which is very convenient to use. The front and sides of the cabinet are depicted with gold depictions of the two dragon play beads, and the inside of the door and the back of the cabinet are depicted with golden pine, bamboo, plum, butterfly and camellia patterns. This medicine cabinet has a complex structure, ingenious design, golden splendor and elegance.

Lacquer art in the Qing Dynasty continued to develop throughout the country, forming various production centers and local characteristics. The carving lacquer of the Qing Dynasty set up a manufacturing office on the basis of the Ming Dynasty Guotong Factory to continue to produce carved lacquer products. Compared with the Ming Dynasty carving lacquer, the Ming Dynasty lacquer color is dark red, the knife method is round, and the ornamentation is solemn and thick, while the Qing Dynasty lacquer color is bright red, the blade is exposed, and the ornament is slender and complicated. The yangzhou snail works are the most exquisite, and the famous artists include Lu Yingzhi and his grandson Lu Kuisheng. Shen Shao'an, a lacquer artist in Fuzhou during the Qianlong period, used the traditional technique of clamping silk to create a lacquerware that was born out of the birth, with gorgeous color and light body. In short, the lacquerware process of the Ming and Qing dynasties has dried up and changed, and the works are exquisite and outstanding.

Black lacquer depicts the golden landscape map hand furnace Qing

Tongliang height 14 cm Abdominal length 18.4 cm Width 12.9 cm Collection of the Palace Museum

The hand stove is a thin wooden tire, double circle connected shape, on which there are lifting beams, fancy lids, flat bottoms, lids and lifting beams painted with black paint, depicting gold paint brocade patterns. The furnace body is opened on all sides, the light is painted with black paint, the gold is painted with landscape and water pavilions, the outside of the light is painted with reddish-brown lacquer, and the gold is painted with lotus patterns.

Black paint depicts the golden crown frame Clear

Height 27 cm Bottom diameter 14 cm Collection of the Palace Museum

The top of the crown frame is two semi-circular spheres clasped together, the mouth has a switch, which can be opened and closed, and under the base are six weeping cloud-patterned feet. The crown frame is covered with black light paint throughout, and the light can be discerned. The ornamentation is all depicted with gold floral patterns, the top hollow chrysanthemum pattern, a large chrysanthemum flower at the top center, the upper and lower mouths depict the golden cloud pattern, the middle of the column is hollowed out, the deformed butterfly pattern is depicted up and down, the bottom sitting gold color depicts the hooked cloud pattern and tangled branches of flowers, there are six "Shou" characters in the middle, and the whole instrument is graceful and luxurious, showing the royal style.

| Times Township Weekly |