Collection Knowledge of Bamboo, Wood, Ivory, Horn and Bone Objects - 30 Lectures - I Love Collecting: I Love Collecting

Author: Zhang Zhan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The collection of bamboo, wood, ivory, and horn artifacts covers a wide range, with diverse forms and techniques, involving various aspects of knowledge. To help beginners gain a more comprehensive understanding of bamboo, wood, ivory, and horn artifact collection, this book introduces the development, style characteristics, craftsmanship, circulation, and market trends of these artifacts in a Q&A format, accompanied by numerous illustrations for appreciation. Reading this book, which condenses knowledge related to bamboo, wood, ivory, and horn artifact collection, will help you understand and appreciate the unique charm of these artifacts. Bamboo carving is a specialized art unique to China. Due to its poor preservation, it is rarely found in archaeological excavations. The painted dragon-embroidered bamboo bowl unearthed from the Western Han Ma Wang Du tomb in Changsha, Hunan (Figure 1) is one of the earliest known bamboo carvings. The bamboo scoop is decorated with dragon patterns and braided motifs, employing both relief and openwork techniques, making it exquisite and precious. The Southern Qi Book·Biography of Ming Sengshao records that Emperor Gao of the Southern Qi gifted Ming Sengshao a bamboo-root ruyi and bamboo-shoot crown. In Geng Xin’s poem Returning Alms from Zhao Wang’s Generosity, there is a line: “Wild burns leaf, mountain cup holds bamboo-root,” reflecting the of bamboo carving at the time. Tang Dynasty bamboo carving is detailed in Guo Ruoxu’s Records of Paintings and Calligraphy Seen and Heard·Volume Five, where it is noted that bamboo carving techniques and works shared the same artistic spirit as gold and silver engraving and stone line carving, and the technique of “leaving green” had already emerged. During the Song Dynasty, bamboo carver Zhan Cheng created a birdcage with four floral panels, each intricately carved with palaces, figures, landscapes, flowers, and birds, with details as fine as threads, and the cage was both delicate and movable. His high-level carving skills, meticulous craftsmanship, and ingenious designs set a model for later generations and had a profound influence. The long-standing art of bamboo carving developed into a specialized craft by the mid-Ming Dynasty. In the early mid-Ming period, only a few artists with higher cultural backgrounds engaged in bamboo carving. Later, bamboo carving techniques became increasingly refined, with artisans passing down skills through family lines, teacher-student relationships, or self-learning, giving rise to carvers with both high cultural and artistic expertise. They carved works representing the highest level of Ming Dynasty craftsmanship, transforming bamboo carving into a specialized industry. Bamboo carving became a specialized art in the mid-Ming Dynasty for two reasons: first, bamboo material was cheap and readily available, and second, renowned bamboo carvers emerged and formed schools. To compete with high-quality materials like zitan wood, ivory, and rhinoceros horn, bamboo carvers had to innovate in carving techniques, vary in forms and decorative themes, and continuously reach new artistic heights. This process was the sufficient and necessary condition for the emergence of bamboo carving masters and also led to the formation of two bamboo carving centers—one in Jiading, Zhejiang (now Jiading, Shanghai), and the other in Jinling, Jiangsu (now Nanjing). Later generations named these schools after their regional origins, giving rise to the Jiading School, represented by Zhu He, and the Jinling School, represented by Pu Zhongqian. Experts broadly divide the development of bamboo carving art into three stages: the Ming Dynasty, the early Qing Dynasty, and the late Qing Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, there were three main carving techniques: 1) the Jiading School, which used deep carving to express high relief or round carving, with representatives such as Zhu He, Zhu Ying, and Zhu Zhiheng, known as the “Three Zhu of Jiading” or the “Three Pine of Zhu Family”; 2) the Jinling School, which used shallow carving or minimal tooling to create artifacts, with Pu Zhongqian as its representative; and 3) the technique of “leaving green” to create raised patterns, with Zhang Xihuang as its master. The early Qing Dynasty to the Qianlong period (1644–1795) is classified as the early Qing Dynasty in bamboo carving. In terms of time span, this period includes both the early and mid-Qing periods traditionally recognized. Bamboo carving flourished during the early Qing Dynasty, with artisans inheriting Ming techniques while also innovating. Wu Zifan created “thin-ground raised relief” shallow carving, Feng Xilu and his disciples excelled in round carving, Zhou Hao carved landscapes and bamboo rocks with a brush-like touch, and Pan Xifeng achieved natural charm through scraping and grinding. They had significant influence at the time and reached the pinnacle of skill, leaving no successors to match them. During the Qianlong period, the imitation of ancient styles became fashionable, and bamboo carving also saw the imitation of bronze-style carvings, with many ingenious designs that closely resembled ancient bronze vessels. Tripod, ewer, zun, and hu were all replicated, as seen in the Qianlong-era bamboo-carved tripod ewer (Figure 3). Inlaid yellow lacquer artifacts displayed exquisite craftsmanship, breaking the inherent cylindrical shape of bamboo to create diverse forms, giving the impression of ivory. Thus, the early Qing Dynasty can be considered the golden age of bamboo carving. The late Qing Dynasty saw carvers unable to design and carve independently, relying on painters for drafts, separating carving from painting. Carvers became mere artisans, limited to surface carving on bamboo material without the ability to carve away layers for re-painting. As a result, late Qing bamboo carvings were mostly shallow raised or recessed patterns, with forms often limited to armrests and fan bones. In contrast, once-popular round carvings, openwork, and high-relief pen holders and incense tubes became rare. Therefore, bamboo carving art declined during the late Qing Dynasty. Although more bamboo carvers are recorded in the late Qing Dynasty compared to the early Qing, few were considered masters. Those with higher skills included Shang Xun, known for his “leaving green” carving, and Fang Xu, skilled in “sunken shallow carving.” Some unsigned bamboo carvings, if historically and artistically valuable, hold a certain place in bamboo carving history alongside famous works.