Collection Knowledge of Bamboo, Wood, Ivory, Horn, and Bone Objects - Thirty Lectures

Author: Zhang Zhan, Jin Yanqiao
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-figured bamboo bowl unearthed from the Western Han tomb of Ma Wang Dui in Changsha, Hunan (Figure 1), is one of the earliest known bamboo carvings. The bamboo spoon is decorated with dragon patterns and braided motifs, using both relief and pierced-carving 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 (a type of hairpin) and bamboo (bamboo sheath) crown. In Geng Xin’s poem Returning Alms to Zhao Wang’s Generosity in Wine, there is a line: “Wild stove burns leaf wood, mountain cup holds bamboo-root,” which reflects the of bamboo carving at the time. Tang Dynasty bamboo carving is detailed in Guo Ruoyu’s Records of Paintings and Views·Volume 5, 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 flower panels, each intricately carved with palaces, figures, landscapes, flowers, trees, 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 carvers passing down skills through family lines, teacher-student relationships, or self-learning, giving rise to bamboo carvers with both high cultural and artistic talent. They carved works representing the highest level of Ming Dynasty craftsmanship, turning bamboo carving into a specialized industry. The reasons for bamboo carving becoming a specialized art in the mid-Ming Dynasty were twofold: 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: Jading (now Jading in Shanghai) in Zhejiang and Jinling (now Nanjing) in Jiangsu. Later generations named these schools after their regions, giving rise to the Jading 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. The main techniques of bamboo carving during the Ming Dynasty were three: first, the Jading School used deep carving to express high relief or round carving, with representatives like Zhu He, Zhu Ying, and Zhu Zhiheng, known as the “Three Zhu of Jading” or the “Three Pine of Zhu.” Second, the Jinling School used shallow carving or slightly chiseled techniques to create artifacts, with Pu Zhongqian as its representative. Third, the technique of “leaving green” to create raised patterns, with Zhang Xihuang as its master. The early Qing Dynasty to the reign of Qianlong (1644–1795) is classified as the early Qing period in bamboo carving. In terms of time span, this early Qing period includes the periods traditionally referred to as the early and mid-Qing Dynasties. Bamboo carving flourished during the early Qing period, with carvers inheriting Ming techniques while also innovating. Wu Zifan created the “thin ground raised relief” shallow carving, Feng Xilu and his disciples developed round carving, Zhou Hao carved like writing, creating landscapes and bamboo rocks in the (negative-carving) style, and Pan Xifeng achieved natural charm through (random scraping and grinding). They had significant influence at the time and reached the pinnacle of technique, leaving no one to match them afterward. During the Qianlong era, the imitation of ancient styles became popular, and bamboo carving also featured imitations of bronze artifacts, with many ingenious designs that closely resembled ancient bronze vessels. Tripod, ewers, vases, and pots were all replicated, as seen in the Qian Dynasty bamboo-carved tripod ewer (Figure 3). In (glued yellow lacquer artifacts), craftsmanship reached its peak, breaking the inherent cylindrical shape of bamboo to create diverse forms, giving the impression of ivory. Thus, the early Qing period can be said to be the golden age of bamboo carving. The late Qing Dynasty saw carvers unable to design and carve themselves, relying on painters for drafts, separating carving from painting. Carvers became mere craftsmen, limited to surface carving on bamboo material, unable to carve away layers for re-painting. As a result, late Qing bamboo carving works were mostly shallow raised or recessed carvings, with forms often being armrests or fan bones. In contrast, once-popular round-carved artifacts, such as pierced-carved and high-relief brush pots and incense pots, became rare. Therefore, bamboo carving art declined during the late Qing Dynasty. While 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, who excelled in (leaving green) carving, and Fang Xu, who used the “sunken ground shallow carving” technique. Some unsigned bamboo carving works, if historically and artistically valuable, hold a certain place in bamboo carving history alongside famous works by renowned masters.