A touch of cinnabar says lacquer craft

Lacquerware, also known as "red tick", the main process for the carving, the main raw material for the paint, the process is to carry out engraving on the thick paint.

Chinese lacquerware spans thousands of years of history. The lacquer lacquer is written in Tang. It flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Because of its scarce materials, exquisite workmanship, magnificent and noble identity, it has always been a special product for the imperial palace. .

However, this ancient and noble art was almost extinguished during the mortal period. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, lacquer carving became an important handicraft for foreign exchange. After the reform and opening up, with the revival of the art market, exquisite ancient lacquer carving became an integral part of art auctions, and contemporary high-level lacquer carvings are increasingly attracting attention from collectors.

Then, how do we understand the artistic characteristics of lacquer carving and examine the collection value of lacquer carving?

Zheng Xiuqiu Yin Xiuyun is a master of arts and crafts in China and a master of Beijing's special arts and crafts. He is also a representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Beijing's lacquer arts.

“The lacquer here is what we call lacquer, also called earth lacquer, and national lacquer. It was cut from the lacquer tree. This kind of paint is antiseptic, anti-acid, anti-tide, anti-oxidant, and has been researched by experts who research lacquer. In the experiment, the same kind of food was placed in containers of secret porcelain, stainless steel, and lacquer. After three days, the flora of the food was examined separately. It was found that only the harmful bacteria produced by the food in the lacquer box were the least. The paint can also be used as medicine, can strengthen bones and muscles, regulate meridians, and have the effect of delaying aging."

The precious lacquer is closely related to the use of natural paint. A lacquer tree that grows for 16 years has only 250 grams of paint a year. Every September is the golden month for cutting paint. In the meantime, lacquer trees must be recuperated. Moreover, a tree needs to be recuperated every five or six years. year. When cutting the paint, use a special knife, cut the bark, and then use a small shell or a large leaf, then drop it and then receive it. Therefore, the output of paint is extremely low, which is destined to the preciousness of the raw materials of lacquer from the source.

Yang Zhixin, a senior technician from Beijing's arts and crafts department, talks about lacquer and also has deep feelings. He said that lacquer is not only a natural sap that is symbiotic with humans, but some women in the Daliang Mountain area of ​​Sichuan Province use paint dregs to reduce the discomfort during the physiological period and has a wide range of applications, such as burning paint coal, Due to high fire resistance, it should be used in aerospace technology.

In addition to raw materials, the value of lacquer is more reflected in the process.

It is no exaggeration to say that the lacquer craftsmanship is extremely complicated. To complete an exquisite lacquer work of art, one must go through as many as hundreds of processes. Even if it is rough, lacquerware is divided into 12 processes: paint, design, making tires, making land, light paint, painting, engraving, drying, grinding, polishing, making and waxing. Due to the complexity of the process, it often requires more than a dozen people to work together to complete a work.

In terms of the light paint process, it is to coat the paint on the surface of the carcass layer by layer, over and over again, and gradually increase the thickness of the paint layer to achieve the need for carving.

Liu Zhixin explained that the ancient name of the varnish is lacquer enamel. It is necessary to use a special cloth with no fiber burrs to spin the carcass, instead of using a brush. This kind of wiping must be accurate, neither too fast nor too slow, neither too thin nor too thick, and the time between the two light lacquer should be the same, if not, the color will come out. different.

Not only that, the environmental requirements of light paints are also very high, with a humidity requirement of 80% and a temperature of around 25°. In the winter in Beijing, only one layer of paint can be applied on one day, while one millimeter of paint requires about 20 layers of light paint, which takes about 20 days. Since each layer of paint must be conjunctiva, new layers can be repainted. The thickness of a lacquer work depends on the thickness of the pattern design, which is generally around 8mm, and the thinnest paint layer also needs to be over 5mm. In other words, at least 100 layers of varnish are required. Therefore, for the smallest lacquer work, the time for the varnish will take more than three months, and the large ones will even reach five or six months.

This process is a combination of skilled technicians, harsh storage environment and long time.

The production cycle lasts almost all the way through the lacquer art, and it remains the same in the sculpture. The lacquer lacquer is known for its slow and fine workmanship. A medium-sized lacquer work will also take a year.

Liu Zhixin pointed to a palindrome on a lacquer vase and said, “This is the most traditional and most frequently used ornament in lacquer, but for this palindrome, we must sculpt 36 knives. You say it takes time and effort. Carvings and craftsmanship are all exaggerations."

The lacquer collection of lacquer lacquer is one of the eight dominance of Yanjing. It also became a national intangible object of protection in 2011, and its living status is not understandable to most people.

Yin Xiuyun said without hesitation: “The lacquer craftsmanship requires a long period of practice to achieve the basic requirements. It is not possible to practice sculpture without a five-year period. Nowadays, the younger generation is able to endure loneliness and learn lacquer carving in negligible quantities. The capital’s arts and crafts group, which is now a lacquer lacquer, is also about 40 people. The groups tend to age. 80% of engineers over the age of 50 occupy, and in ten years, if no younger generation has taken over the lacquer craft Stick, this art is in danger of being extinct."

At present, most of Beijing's lacquer lacquer groups are dominated by middle and low tiers, and only five or six people are doing fine works. These collector-level boutiques should be considered by collectors.

According to Yin Xiuyun's suggestion, collectors should first pay attention to the masterpieces of arts and crafts masters. These masters have forty to fifty years of experience in design and sculpture. They have a quiet mind and are not impetuous. Their techniques are excellent and they strive for perfection. For the works with distinctive characteristics of the times, collectors should also pay attention, such as works in the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, including “knowledge youth go down the mountain to the countryside” and “all for the workers, peasants and soldiers”, etc. The third is innovative consciousness. The works, such as works that reflect patterns of customs and ethnic customs of ethnic minorities, abandon the traditional auspicious designs and replace them with the themes of ancient literary works such as “Mountain Ghosts” and “Mrs. Xiang Xiang”; then there is production in the past and it is no longer today. Some old lacquer wares produced again, such as lacquer boxes produced in the seventies or eighties, were even small boxes at the time. They were also copper tyres burning blue ground and brass mouths. Since the current craft chain has been broken, this small The box has become absolutely loud.

In addition, Liu Zhixin also believes that the lacquer works produced in contemporary imitation palace styles are worthy of collection, such as the imitation of the Ming Dynasty style, mainly the patterns of the Ming Yongle years, the lush and broad branches of the plants; the imitation of the Qing Dynasty style, Characters are nuanced and airtight.

At the time of the Spring Festival when the time of the Spring Festival was approaching, the lacquer lacquer, with its noble lineage and calm ancient rhyme, became a precious gift for many people to use for New Year's collections and gifts. However, many people who were initially exposed to lacquer will feel confused. The size of the disc on the market looks similar to the disc, the price has to be more than 10,000 yuan, which is why?

In this regard, Liu's new interpretation can be described in the same language. He said that "carving lacquer" and "lacquer carving" are two different things. Lacquer carving is actually a die-casting product. It is made from a uniform mold and is not carved. It is only decorative, and there is no value for collection.

Can we distinguish between carved lacquer works and molded lacquer sculptures? In fact, the difference between the two is very clear. It is not difficult for most people to distinguish between authenticity and the truth. It is only necessary to master the basics. Yin Xiuyun provided a set of methods for readers of our magazine. Only six strokes can distinguish the two.

First, look at the colors. Color is the most intuitive. The color of the lacquer is cinnabar red. The longer the time is, the more stable and elegant the color is. The molded handicraft is a kind of bright red, lacking in heritage.

Second, look at the carcass. All lacquer lacquer is carcass, or wooden tires, or gold, silver and bronze tires, and there is no carcass molding.

Third, look at seams. The lacquer work has no stitches, and the molded handicrafts have the stitches of the mold.

Fourth, see the engraver. The lacquer works are hand-made, not exactly the same two pieces, even if the same pattern, because of different hand strength and lines are different, there is a high and low depth, the line is different outside the line, and the molded pattern is Completely uniform.

Fifth, look at the paint layer. The lacquer work is painted on top of one layer, traces can be seen between the layers, and the molded handicraft has no lacquer layer. It is one.

Sixth, knocking hardness. The lacquer is softer and the molded surface is hard and heavy.