A few months ago, I saw an exhibition in The Gongwang Mansion in Beijing - "Liaoning Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Dalian Shell Carving Exhibition". To this day, @Pu Feng Can still recall those shocking and exquisite shell carving works.
With the theme of "Bei Que Tiangong All Things Renewal", the exhibition mainly selects more than 40 representative works of Dalian Shell Sculpture, representative inheritor of Dalian Shell Sculpture, a representative project of Liaoning Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage, Chinese Arts and Crafts Master Jin Ashan and Jin Ashan Art Museum, to show the audience the history, culture, production techniques and tools of Dalian Shell Sculpture.
I chose a few masterpieces to open everyone's eyes.
Jin Ashan, the third generation of non-hereditary heirs of Dalian Shell Carving, and 20 other people spent 4 years and spent 5 tons of abalone shells to produce three large-scale three-dimensional shell carving works "Dragon Boat", "Phoenix Boat" and "Nine Dragon Wall".
Each piece of work is extremely delicate, not only dragons and phoenixes, but also various pavilions, beautiful.
These shell carvings, which combine traditional Chinese craftsmanship and modern innovative design concepts, skillfully use the natural color and texture shape of the shell, novel composition, exquisite craftsmanship, brilliant colors, and certain ornamental and artistic value.
Nine Dragon Wall
Shell smoke cylinder, made in the 1950s.
Dalian Shell Carving Factory began in the 1940s and 1950s. Traditional shell decoration techniques such as screw inlay have inspired Dalian shell carving artists. In their study, they found that shells not only have the color of the epidermis, but also have a variety of beautiful latent colors. In this way, you can use the various natural colors and curvature of the shells to carve and grind into various landscapes, flowers, birds, and figure paintings. Because this kind of shell carving painting is different from the screw inlay made of a single shell and the shell carving composed of the prototype of the shell, it is called an emerging process.
Shell critters, made in the 1940s
In 2020, dalian shell carving craftsmanship was included in the list of representative projects of provincial intangible cultural heritage in Liaoning Province. Dalian shell carving is mainly distributed in Dalian Ganjingzi District, Zhongshan District and Shahekou District, Ganjingzi District is the "landmark" area of Dalian shell carving culture, people living in this area use the handicraft skills passed down from generation to generation, arbitrarily taken from all kinds of exquisite shells, after bold creation, exquisite carving, to create exquisite and wonderful, elegant shell carving works, in order to convey people's yearning and expectation for a better life.
Tang Guanluo carved "Eight Immortals"
As long as it is something in the sea, you can borrow the shape to call out the corresponding pattern.
Wanbaoluo carving "Pleasant, Nostalgia"
Ten thousand years of jade stone carving "Nuwa Patch Heaven". 55 cm high
The most appreciated by @Pu Feng is the 10,000-year-old jade stone. Such a huge jade stone is really beautiful. Jade like mutton fat, nature is amazing.
"White Bird Chao Feng" produced by Wannian Yuhua Li.
The most precious thing is this top jade stone with red surroundings, 50 centimeters high, which is simply a "100,000-year soul ring"!
"More than enough every year"
It is said that they are all old materials accumulated by Dalian Shell Carving Factory decades ago. Now it is difficult to buy more than 10,000 years of bricks.
Shell sculpture screen "Flowers Blossom Rich"
If Qianlong Ye saw this, he would definitely drool too.