Carving of bamboo, wood, ivory, and horns

Author: Li Jiufang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-11-01
Features: The Chinese have long utilized naturally grown bamboo, wood, and animal bones, teeth, and horns to create tools, daily necessities, and decorative items for beautifying life. Through continuous innovation in manufacturing techniques during long-term production practices, a diverse and culturally distinctive art form gradually emerged. As early as the Paleolithic era, the people living in the Zhoukoudian area of Beijing crafted bone pendants and necklaces from animal bones, demonstrating early humans' pursuit of beauty. After the Neolithic era, the production and use of bamboo, wood, bone, tooth, and horn artifacts developed more comprehensively. In the Yuchao culture site in Zhejiang's Yuyao, dating back six or seven thousand years, artifacts such as wood-carved cylinders, ivory-embellished plaque decorations, and ivory-carved bird-shaped knives were unearthed. Among these, the ivory-carved bird-shaped knife features a bird-shaped handle and a long tail as a spoon, combining beauty and practicality with exceptionally vivid forms. In the Dawenkou culture site in Shandong, dating back to 4,800–5,000 years ago, an ivory comb was unearthed, standing nine teeth vertically with a comb handle adorned with intricately carved double "S"-shaped patterns, inlaid with green turquoise. The craftsmanship reached a high level. With societal progress and improved productivity, especially the advent of metal tools, a new realm for bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving was opened. In 1979, three towering, intricately decorated ivory cups were unearthed from Fu Hao's tomb in the Yin Ruins of Anyang, Henan. The cups featured incised cloud-and-thunder patterns as backgrounds, with raised reliefs of beast and bird motifs. The lines were clear and delicate. One side of the cup was fitted with a handle shaped like a qilin or owl using a mortise-and-tenon method, giving the cup an exceptionally dignified and luxurious overall design, reflecting the new developments and achievements in bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving after the introduction of metal tools.
Due to bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn being organic materials, they are easily eroded by harmful substances in nature and susceptible to human damage, making preservation extremely difficult. As a result, few works have survived to this day. However, the limited artifacts that remain fully demonstrate the glorious achievements of Chinese bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving art at that time.
The Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China for nearly five and a half centuries. During this period, bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving art not only inherited historical traditions but also achieved significant leaps. Not only did the variety and quantity of works increase, but numerous scholars, calligraphers, and painters also participated in and created bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn artifacts. This shifted the focus from technical craftsmanship to, elevating the artistic status of these products and completely dispelling the societal bias of viewing bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving as "trivial tricks" or "childish skills." This change in perspective further spurred the development of bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving art, giving rise to distinct styles and schools, as well as a host of renowned carvers whose works gained fame both domestically and internationally.
The Palace Museum houses thousands of bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carved artifacts, primarily sourced from three categories: first, imperial workshops during the Ming and Qing dynasties conscripted famous craftsmen to produce (imperial items) according to the emperor's requirements; second, officials from various regions annually presented tribute items to the emperor, many of which were crafted by masters; and third, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, many bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carved artifacts scattered among the populace were collected through various channels into the Palace Museum's collection, including numerous masterpieces.
This volume selects 248 representative works, categorized into bamboo and wood, tooth and horn, and (multi-material inlay), arranged chronologically to provide a relatively comprehensive reflection of the achievements of bamboo, wood, tooth, and horn carving art during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as showcasing the rich collection of the imperial household.