Artistic Characteristics of Han Dynasty Lacquerware

Lacquer craft is the outstanding creation of China's working people. China's use of lacquer, is the longest history of the country, according to the Warring States documents have Shun made black lacquer eating utensils, Yu made sacrificial vessels inside the vermilion lacquer records. Following the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, was overthrown by the peasant revolt, instead of the Western Han Dynasty, in order to consolidate the ruling regime, the implementation of the policy of "rest and recuperation", the people were able to stabilize the labor force, the socio-economic and cultural development has been a high degree.

Lightweight, convenient and gorgeous lacquer ware, in the Qin and Han aristocratic gentry living utensils occupy an important position, it further replaced the bronze, the scope of use is even more expanded, the ruling class in order to meet the enjoyment of life, the lacquer craft, spared no expense and manpower, it is decorated with more expensive.

I. Lacquerware tire quality and method

Lacquerware mainly has two kinds of wooden tires and clamp tires. There are also a few bamboo tires. Wooden tires are made by wheel spinning, cutting and gouging, rolling three kinds of different shapes, respectively, using different methods. Folder tire is first made of wood or clay, as the inner mold, and then attached to the inner mold with layers of linen or silk, layer by layer of paint, after drying, remove the inner mold, there will be left with linen or silk folder tire, this is the so-called "off the tire method".

Two, pattern and decoration

Lacquer ware on the pattern, there are the following methods:

1. Lacquer painting: raw lacquer made of translucent lacquer, plus a variety of pigments depicted in the lacquered artifacts, bright color, not easy to come off, most of the lacquer ware pattern with this method of painting and drawing.

2. oil color: with oil juice (may be tung oil) mixing pigments, painted on the lacquered objects, painted patterns due to grease aging, easy to fall off.

3. needle carving: with the tip of a needle in the lacquered objects have been pierced patterns, known as "cone painting"; some objects in the piercing out of the line within the seam filled with gold color, resulting in a similar pattern of gold and silver bronze on the wrong effect.

4. gold and silver foil paste: made of gold or silver foil patterns, pasted on the lacquer surface of the object, showing a similar "gold and silver Pingtuo" effect. Patterns are characterized by detailed and fluent.

5. Pile of lacquer decorative method: Changsha found the Western Han Dynasty tomb lacquer coffins on the pattern, are thick with thick pigment heap up, the jade wall of the vortex and pattern on the border line, are a special tool will be extruded thick pigment as a hook border line and vortex, a layer of relief effect, "knowledge of the pattern of hidden up" belongs to one of the pile of lacquer techniques. This is an unprecedented discovery. In two thousand years ago to create this pile of lacquer performance techniques, indicating that the lacquer art of the Han Dynasty has been extremely subtle.

After the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, it was popular to set gilded or silver-plated copper hoops on the rims of plates, bottles, boxes, trousseaux, etc. and gilded copper shells on the ears of the cups, which is called "silver mouth and yellow ears" or "ware". Some lacquerware such as bottles, trousseau and box lid often with gilded copper, sometimes inlaid with crystal or glass beads.

Han Dynasty lacquer ware pattern to flow cloud pattern, swirl pattern, deformation coiled calabash pattern, lattice pattern and birds and beasts to ward off evil spirits, the color is mostly red and black, or with Zhu, green, or with Zhu, gold painting, strong generous. Character painting more than one filial piety story and fairy feather people at the time of the subject matter, some depicting the gods or FeiLian, and with birds and animals in the stream of clouds in the shape of Mercedes. Line flow, like traveling in the clouds to travel in space. This type of subject matter and the Han Dynasty tombs, enjoy the Hall of the portrait stone, murals, bricks and other subjects are generally similar. It is also a reflection of the idea of the gods and goddesses ascending to heaven. Lacquerware in the early Western Han Dynasty, the pattern is rich and complex; Eastern Han Dynasty lacquerware, the pattern is relatively simple. From the middle of the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty, a few lacquer wares are decorated with paintings of gods and immortals, filial sons, and other storytelling paintings featuring figures.

An Analysis of Han Dynasty Lacquerware Art

In the past half a century or so, the rich and colorful lacquerware of the Han Dynasty has been found in a wide range of areas at home and abroad, which provides extremely valuable information for our study of lacquerware and the Qin-Han culture. They are briefly summarized as follows:

1. Lacquerware of the Han Dynasty unearthed in Changsha.

Changsha is an important area for the excavation of the Warring States lacquerware, since the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, it has been the town of the southern culture, so the emergence of the Chu-Han burial sites is a very natural thing, before and after the unearthed many exquisite lacquerware of the Han Dynasty. Especially in 1972, Changsha, Hunan Province, Mawangdui unearthed a large number of lacquer ware of the Western Han Dynasty, unearthed is the luster of the people to identify intact as new, in the history of the Han Dynasty culture, is a major discovery. Mawangdui No. 1 tomb of the Western Han Dynasty unearthed 184 pieces. In our country unearthed in the same period of lacquer ware, this is the largest number of the best preserved batch, for the study of the Han dynasty lacquer craft provides extremely rich information.

I. Tire and method

This batch of lacquerware tire bone to know the bottom there are two kinds:

One is wood and bamboo tires. All of the lacquer ware in wood tires accounted for the vast majority of the system, there are three, one is the spinning wood tires, take the appropriate size of the wood block, spinning out the outer wall and the bottom, while the abdominal cavity may be gouged out. This can be evidenced by the part of the container's outer wall left obvious traces of spinning, the inner wall and the foot ring left chiseling traces. Spinning wood-fired vessels are generally thicker and heavier. Tripods, boxes, bells, pellets, plates, etc. belong to this method. The second is hacking wood tire, is the use of wood blocks or boards hacking out the shape (including planing, chipping, gouging, chiseling and other practices), such as oval cups, earrings, franciscus a few daggers, case belongs to, generally also known as the thick. The third is the volume of wood tires, used for straight wall type, mainly in the goblet, trousseau, etc.. The use of thin wood rolled into a cylindrical body, the interface with wooden nails, the bottom is a planed round board, and the wall combination. This kind of rolled wood tires, generally is to be added to the tire bone framed linen, and then lacquered. After the lacquer is polished smooth, not showing traces of seams. Bamboo tire only see painting spoon two pieces. Bamboo sections for the bottom of the bucket, cut long bamboo pieces for the spoon handle, mortise and tenon with bamboo nails and bucket combined, plus lacquer.

The other is a folder tire. Department of wood, clay or plaster made of ware-shaped model, as the inner tire, and then with a number of layers of burlap or silk, lacquer paste mounted on the inner tire mold, such as burlap or silk dry after removing the inner tire mold, which is "off the tire", the surviving layer of burlap and the original shape of the vessel profile is completely consistent with the original, only a little larger (the thickness of the burlap layer) only.

II. Pattern decoration

This batch of lacquer ware, pattern decoration drawing method has three kinds.

One is lacquer painting. The use of raw lacquer made of translucent lacquer, adding a certain pigment, depicted in the lacquer has been painted after the completion of the artifacts,

In the patterned lacquerware, lacquer painting accounted for the vast majority. Generally in the black lacquer on the depiction of red, ochre, gray-green lacquer, but also with a small amount of red lacquer on the depiction of black lacquer, bright color, not easy to fall off. Tripods, boxes, bells, franciscus, pots, plates, cases, earrings and other lacquer ware on the pattern is mostly lacquer painting.

The second is oil paint. The use of cinnabar or stone green and other pigments mixed with oil (may be tung oil) painting in the lacquer has been painted on the artifacts, seen in the food trousseau, a few, such as screens. In some exquisite lacquerware, the system is painted black-brown lacquer for the ground, and then in the lacquer on the ground pasted gold foil (add the right amount of silver powder, called clear gold foil), and then oil painting. The colors are red, yellow, white, gold, gray and green. Gold pigment seems to be brass powder. Has been partially rusted to peacock blue. This oil paint, because of which the grease ageing, so it is very easy to fall off.

Third is the needle carving. That is, in the lacquer painted objects with a needle to be engraved. This needle engraving, see with the goblet, trousseau and other small devices **** six pieces. Some of the needle carving pattern is mixed with oil color, more delicate and delicate.

There are three main types of lacquer patterns. One is the type of geometric pattern, which is the main. There are square even variant pattern, bird head-shaped pattern, geometric cloud pattern, ring pattern, diamond pattern, point pattern. The second is the type of dragon and phoenix, cloud and bird, and floral pattern. There are cloudy dragon pattern, cloudy phoenix pattern, cloudy animal pattern, phoenix pattern, dragon pattern, cloudy air pattern, curly cloud pattern and so on. The third is the type of sketch animal pattern, there are two kinds of cat pattern and turtle pattern.

This batch of lacquer ware pattern is detailed, smooth, pattern in addition to flat paint, a large number of use of lines outlined, geometric type of pattern lines, generally more rigid; dragon and phoenix, cloud and bird, flowers and plants type of pattern lines, generally softer; as for the cat and tortoise paintings, it is similar to the lines of the modern sketching. In some objects, several kinds of lines are used to outline the floral patterns at the same time, which makes the picture more vivid and lively.

This batch of lacquer ware in the use of color, also reached a high level, generally black for the ground, or in the black ground plus red lining color, with vermilion and ochre or vermilion and gray-green painting. Painting and ground color contrast strongly, looks very rich, the color has bright and dark, very coordinated.

2. Lacquerware of the Han Dynasty unearthed in Shandong.

Shandong Wendeng County, in the liberation of the successive discovery of the Han Dynasty tombs have lacquerware unearthed, especially in Laixi first Dai Ye village, East Han Dynasty tombs, found a lot of lacquerware and extremely fine copper mirror, copper wash. This batch of lacquer ware is well preserved. Unearthed a variety of boxes, a variety of shapes, various types of ware height size ratio, are very suitable, appear dignified and generous. Boxes are all clamped tire bone, the center of the box cover each set with silver leaf-shaped pattern. Box mouth edge and the bottom are set with more fine silver inlay, feel extra strong, black lacquer depicts cloudy pattern, lines fluttering soft, this and other areas of lacquer, depicting the style is generally consistent.

3. Han Dynasty lacquerware unearthed in Huai'an, Hebei Province.

Wai'an Han lacquerware, mainly rectangular lacquer box and lacquer trousseau, which is different from other regions of the varieties for the rectangular box, high, box cover shallower without tin, box cover center and Laixi Han lacquer box decorated with four-leaf type ti pattern. Throughout the body of the black lacquer depicting birds and animals flowing cloud pattern. Flying birds and beasts interspersed among the clouds, lively and beautiful. The body and lid of the trousseau have wide silver inlays. The lid of the trousseau has a high protrusion, and the center is inlaid with silver pieces of four-leafed motifs. All the vessels are painted with black lacquer ground, with flowing clouds on them.

4. Lacquerware of the Han Dynasty unearthed at Phoenix River, Yangzhou, Jiangsu.

These lacquerware shape varieties are also diverse, mainly lacquer trousseau, and the size of rectangular, square, oval, round, horseshoe-shaped lacquer box. There are also ear cups, lacquer plates and lacquer bowls with copper ring handles. Lacquerware is made of wood for large pieces, and small lacquer boxes are made of wood. The body is painted with black lacquer, and most of the lacquer is complete, with the pattern of clouds, flowers and grasses. Painted in the phoenix, deer and other animals, forming a beautiful picture. But the pattern is more loose, unlike the Warring States red tape. From the depiction of brushwork can be seen in its inheritance relationship. Large rectangular lacquer box lid are written in vermilion lacquer "Cheng Changqing" three words, the font of the Western Han Dynasty, according to a variety of excavated artifacts, the Department of the early Western Han Dynasty relics.

In addition, such as Hubei Jiangling Phoenix Hill Han Tomb, Anhui Tianchang County Han Tomb, Guizhou Qingzhen, Pingba, Mongolian people **** and the country and the northern part of Korea (the ancient Lelang County) and so on also unearthed a large number of Han lacquer, a wide range of varieties, types and artistic style, and the previous cited a little bit of the same, not to be described.

To summarize the decorative techniques of the Han dynasty lacquerware, in addition to the general use of the most prevalent in the Warring States period of depiction and needle engraving, there are still the following kinds of more prominent decorative techniques:

1. Gold foil appliquéd: in Changsha, Mongolia and North Korea in the northern part of the ancient Lelang and other places have found on the remains of the Han lacquerware, made of various decorative patterns with the gold foil. Among them, there are driving, horseback riding, turtle riding, crossbow carrying, playing music, dancing, performing acrobatics and humanoid monsters and so on. Animals such as tigers, rabbits, cows, horses, pigs, sheep, birds and lions and monkeys. Group pattern category: there are long, triangular, round, etc., and on which can be fine is the lattice pattern and scroll pattern, beautiful lines, subtle techniques. Black ground gold flowers, more gorgeous.

2. inlay: silver and copper sheet, in the Tin ornaments, engraved into four-leaf-shaped pattern, inlaid in the center of the cover for decoration, some also have four-leaf pattern inlaid with glass beads and gold and copper cap nails, and there are Cangyu inlaid and painted combination of decorative method, the more gorgeous, this kind of noble decorative method, for the Tang Dynasty Pingtuo and the Ming Dynasty Baibao inlaid to create a paradigm.

3. Painted and gold and silver inlay combined with the decorative method: painted lacquer edge or type with the gold and silver inlay, contrast with each other. There are also painted Zhu box, is the color more brilliant reflection.

4. Tortoiseshell Decoration: Lacquer boxes unearthed in Le Lang were decorated with tortoiseshell sheets with beautiful mottled patterns and smooth texture. This kind of good use of nature's beautiful material. This kind of good use of nature's beautiful substances to enrich the decoration of lacquerware can be seen in the ingenuity of the craftsmen.

5. Pile of lacquer decoration method: Changsha found on the Western Han Dynasty tomb lacquer coffins pattern, are with thick thick pigment pile up, the jade wall of the vortex and pattern on the border line, are with a special tool will be extruded thick pigment as a hook border line and vortex, a layer higher to show the effect of relief, "knowledge of the pattern of hidden up" belongs to one of the pile of lacquer techniques. This is an unprecedented discovery. In two thousand years ago to create this pile of lacquer performance techniques, indicating that the lacquer art of the Han Dynasty has been extremely subtle.

The pattern of the lacquer ware in the Han Dynasty is based on the flowing cloud pattern, swirl pattern, deformed calabash pattern, lattice pattern and birds and beasts to ward off evil spirits, and the color is mostly red and black, or with Zhu, green, or with Zhu, gold painting, strong and generous. Character painting more than one filial piety story and fairy feather people at the time of the subject matter, some depicting the gods or FeiLian, and with birds and animals in the stream of clouds in the shape of Mercedes. Line flow, like traveling in the clouds to travel in space. This type of subject matter and the Han Dynasty tombs, enjoy the Hall of the portrait stone, murals, bricks and other subjects are generally similar. It is also a reflection of the idea of immortal ascension.

Han lacquer art is an important stage of development in the history of China's lacquer art, is China's arts and crafts treasure trove and a bright pearl in the long river of culture, but also the world's cultural forest of the indispensable treasure.