Ancient Lacquerware

The heirloom lacquerware is dominated by the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming and Qing dynasties lacquer craft in the inheritance of the Tang, Song and Yuan on the basis of the excellent tradition of further development, characterized by a combination of traditional techniques, entered a new era with variegated, compound ornaments, between the lines, fill embedded and other techniques, such as the thousands of text Wanhua. Especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties court lacquerware, colorful, creating many treasures in the history of arts and crafts.

Carved lacquer in the lacquer ware in the most complex technology, the most expensive. Therefore, carved lacquer, especially red, is the most important varieties of lacquer ware in the court of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Today, we see the court of the Ming and Qing dynasties carved lacquer works to the Palace in Beijing, the collection of the most, scattered outside is also a lot. Ming dynasty yongle, xuande years of pick red, to the famous yuan dynasty jiaxing xitang zhang cheng, yang mao works as an example, by zhang cheng's son zhang degang and bao liang presided over the inner court orchard factory official lacquer production, the type of ware to all kinds of large and small fruit box, fruit plate, mainly, pile of lacquer fat glossy, knife work rounded and plump, and the yuan generation of pick red with the history of the crafts of the treasures.

Chenghua, Hongzhi years not many lacquer products in the inner court, thinning tires, pattern sparse, marking the Xitang school of lacquer carving has entered the end; Jiajing, Wanli years of lacquer carving quite a lot, but the characteristics of the change: the knife does not hide the sharpness of the prongs do not sharpened. Artistic value inferior to the Yongxuan period. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, as a unique craft of the palace carved lacquer was lost, to the fourth year of the Qianlong Emperor, at the request of the Qianlong Emperor, by the bamboo carving master Fengqi engraved samples of the lacquer under the management of the Suzhou Weaver imitated the success of the palace with carved lacquer is also mostly made by Suzhou. Qianlong carving lacquer artifacts are extremely diverse, and to the development of large pieces, in addition to plates, bowls, boxes, boxes, furnaces, bottles, and screens, thrones, and even the model of the carriage and boats, pavilions and pavilions, etc., the craft style of the pursuit of more sophisticated and delicate, the knife sharp edges are exposed, decorative and elaborate; and there are also in the lacquer inlaid with enamel, jade carving, tooth carving, gilding and copper ornaments, etc., magnificent, but too much piling up, and detrimental to the value of the art. After the Qianlong court may no longer require the production of carved lacquer ware, so that later Empress Dowager Cixi asked for tribute, the response was the skills lost. Today's carved lacquer craft is the late Qing and Republic of China by repairing the palace carved lacquer development to copy and restore. The Ming and Qing dynasties of pick rhinoceros ware also has a lot of dependence, but the quality than the Yuan Dynasty Zhang Cheng made a far cry, and it is difficult to accurately determine the generation.

Lacquerware in addition to the most complex and expensive carving process, and then there are filled with inlaid type of inlays and Baibao inlays. For the traditional varieties of lacquer. The National Palace Museum has a number of Ming dynasty palace inlaid lacquer, including furniture, boxes and so on. The end of the Ming Dynasty, Yangzhou's inlay lacquerware is extremely delicate, inlay decoration is not only more slender, and no longer a simple pattern, but the development of colorful landscapes, figures, birds and flowers surface, appeared Jiang Qianli, Fang Xinchuan and other famous artists. With its mark plate, cups, pots, boxes, boxes and other products today there are many, although it is difficult to determine are authentic, but also belong to the history of the arts and crafts of the precious varieties. Qing dynasty court with the studded lacquerware is also Yangzhou products.

Hundred Treasures inlay system with a variety of jade, ivory, jadeite, gemstones, pearls, agate, coral, beeswax, giant clams, incense and other precious materials, as well as coconut shells and other inlays composed of decorative lacquer, so the name of the "Hundred Treasures inlay". According to records is also a Yangzhou Zhou Zhu invented. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there were Wang Guochen, Lu Yingzhi, Xia Lacquer, etc. In addition, Lu Yingzhi's grandson, Lu Kwaisheng, besides being good at Baibao inlays, his lacquer sandstone inkstones were also famous for a while. Box lid Baibao embedded, inside the lightweight lacquer sandstone inkstone, works in addition to the Qing dynasty palace has a collection, folk circulation is also a lot, is a valuable craft treasures. Qing dynasty, hundred treasure inlaid with its gorgeous and luxurious decorative effect in the court was particularly favored. Qing dynasty palace inlaid treasure, in addition to local officials tribute, or by the court in the drawing of samples, handed over to yangzhou to do, most of the works are made by the "manufacturing office" manufacturing. Hundred treasures inlay is a comprehensive character of the composite arts and crafts, the requirements of each type of work with each other, wood lacquer need to manufacture; jade, agate, green gold, jadeite, gemstones need to be faceted; ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoiseshell need to be carved and engraved. The unique advantage of the Office for the combination of this multi-process products to provide the most convenient conditions. Palace of hundred treasure embedded products are many, a wide range of applications, there are common boxes, boxes, trousseau, stationery, screen, hanging screen, screen and other small furnishings and even large wardrobe boxes, cabinets, etc., with precious and rich materials, and the main use of rosewood, unlike the folk hundred treasure embedded in black lacquer is used. Therefore, strictly speaking, the Qing dynasty should not belong to the lacquer inlay, the pattern of the subject matter content is also more extensive, there are a variety of auspicious longevity of flowers and birds, as well as the characters of the many offerings of the treasure map, etc., fully demonstrated the treasure inlay process of rich and luxurious, but some of the works due to the pursuit of splendor, appears bloated. In contrast, Yangzhou's black lacquer inlaid with fewer types of materials, less precious materials, while the composition of the decoration is simple and sparse. In short, the heirloom of the Ming and Qing dynasty hundred treasure inlay whether folk or court, basically belong to the precious ancient craft treasures.

One-color lacquerware is the most traditional, the most basic varieties of lacquerware, but mainly general appliances. Palace exquisite one-color lacquerware is rare, represented by stripped chrysanthemum petal-shaped vermilion lacquer box and stripped chrysanthemum petal-shaped vermilion lacquer plate with Qianlong's imperial inscription, which is made of silk, extremely light and thin, with a reddish color like coral.

Golden and colored lacquer are two other traditional varieties of lacquerware. Gold, known as maki-e in Japan, is the most refined. Xuande years of the Ming dynasty lacquer worker Yang was ordered to go to Japan to study maki-e lacquer, and returned to imitate, his son Yang Ocarina from the study, the production is enough to mess with the real. Another lacquer worker Jiang Hui Hui also good imitation of maki-e lacquer, the Qing Dynasty Suzhou imitation of maki-e lacquer flourished, gold lacquer reflected, magnificent. At that time, it was called "foreign lacquer". Ming dynasty palace gold lacquer survives little to the National Museum of the Wanli system of black lacquer gold lacquer medicine cabinet for the most famous; Qing dynasty palace gold lacquer a lot, in addition to the Office of the products, mostly for the Jiangsu governor into the offerings. Exquisite see the Palace Museum collection of black lacquer gold turquoise vine pattern plate; Yongzheng, Qianlong period of rosewood furniture also has a lot of gold decoration, extremely delicate. Painted lacquerware exquisite see the Palace Museum collection of oil painting Jinwen corner square box and oil painting butterfly pattern corner rectangular box. Yongzheng, Qianlong period of lacquer ware is more gold, gold and painted and painted and stacked lacquer and other techniques combined with the so-called variegated, compound ornaments, between the lines of products. This kind of lacquer ware is the most fine and beautiful, as with the Baibao inlay, most representative of China's 18th century arts and crafts style. Its representative artifacts, such as painted gold hand stove, knowledge of the pattern of gold melon box, painted gold baggage box, knowledge of the pattern of gold begonias save box.

Carving and filling, color and bump gold is three kinds of craft similar and often used in conjunction with the traditional varieties of lacquer, especially in the Ming Dynasty, not only folk lacquer but also court lacquer commonly used decorative methods. Ming dynasty jiajing, wanli two dynasty palace products are second only to carving lacquer ware, handed down to today's also a lot of, see box, plate and silver ingot, square winners and other styles of the box. Qing dynasty qianlong court there are a few boxes using such techniques. In addition, the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there are many made of this through the landscape of the large screen handed down, the pattern has a hundred birds towards the wind, jade Hall of wealth, pine and crane, etc., the back is often for the character of a hundred longevity, mostly for the Kangxi paragraph, but unfortunately, most of these screens are lost overseas. Rhinoceros skin ware exquisite only seen in the Palace Museum collection of yellow sunflower petal-shaped box. Cover gold lacquer is widely used in large objects, the Hall of Supreme Harmony dragon columns, screens, thrones are.