Development history of bone-wood inlay

The history of bone and wood inlay technology in Ningbo can be traced back to Longshan culture period. For example, a mixed pattern of animal bones and mother-of-pearl can be found on the inlaid coffin unearthed from Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan Province. According to records, bone-wood inlay was listed as one of the "six works" in the Yin Dynasty (namely, earth, gold, stone, jade, animal grass). Bone-wood inlay technology is widely spread in China, and the widely spread musical instrument "Rewapu" in Xinjiang is popular with bone-wood inlay decoration. Bone inlay has also appeared in Yangzhou lacquerware; In Beijing, Han nationality, Guangdong and other prosperous places, bone burial is more frequent, but it is Ningbo that can be passed down from generation to generation, prevail and innovate. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, bone and wood inlay became popular in Ningbo. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Ningbo became the main port of foreign trade with its convenient land and water transportation, and its commerce and handicrafts flourished. With the rapid expansion of wood furniture manufacturing industry, there are abundant raw materials such as fish glue, beef bones and shells along the east coast of Zhejiang Province, which has promoted the development of Ningbo bone wood inlay manufacturing industry and gradually formed a unique Ningbo bone wood inlay technology.

Ningbo is located on the eastern coast of Zhejiang Province. Historically, Zhoushan Islands is a famous place of seafood, rich in fish glue. Ningbo Plain mainly produces rice, and Zhu is planted everywhere. Ponds and lakes are rich in mussels, while bamboo and wood are produced in mountainous areas. Fish glue, bamboo bones, shells and bamboos, which are essential for bone and wood inlay, are cheap and easy to obtain. On this basis, after a long time and several failures, we finally absorbed the essence of Ningbo woodcarving and folk painting, and gradually formed a fixed bone and wood mosaic style. This technology reached its peak from Qianlong to Daoguang-year. After Qianlong in Qing dynasty, Ningbo bone and wood inlay became an important tribute to the court. There was a record in "Ningbo Local Records": "The pattern is almost the same as that of Han painting, with exquisite craftsmanship and a combination of carving and carving."

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the application of copper saw wire, the development of wood inlay and the input of mahogany raw materials promoted the rapid development of bone inlay. After several processes, such as wood carving, solid wood carving, wood inlaying and bone wood inlaying, the bone wood inlaying technology became more and more mature in the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, and soon it was widely used in Ningbo folk furniture. At that time, almost every household in Ningbo had several pieces of inlaid furniture to decorate their lives. At that time, the economic value of inlaid furniture was extremely high. In addition to selling well all over the province, Ningbo's bone inlay products are also sold in large quantities to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southeast coastal areas, which are widely spread. After 1840, Ningbo became five trading ports, and many well-preserved bones and wood inlays flowed overseas, and even some European and American countries came to Ningbo to buy them. In the late Qing Dynasty, its craft gradually declined. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the government organized artists and resumed the production of bone and wood inlay. Mass production began in the 1960s, and the technical level was also improved. New technologies such as advanced combination embedding and chemical filling embedding have been developed, and excellent works have emerged continuously.