Lacquer carving

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The Lackschnitzerei is originally from East Asia originating enameling technique.

history

China

Developed was Chinese Lackschnitzerei in the 2nd millennium BC. In China , but it only flourished in the Song , Ming and Qing dynasties . It was soon adopted by neighboring countries, particularly Japan. In some cases, their products even exceeded those of the mother country.

After black lacquer also played a role in this respect up to the Yuan dynasty , the shining vermilion of the classic red lacquer prevailed in the Ming period .

Carved lacquer art at its peak: vase from the Yongle era (1402–1424)
Carved lacquer panel from the 18th century.

The art of carving lacquer reached its peak under the Ming emperors Yongle and Xuande . The pieces of this time are characterized by a particularly silky-gloss surface, softly rounded edges, differentiated internal structures and a pronounced plasticity and depth effect. The geographical center of the lacquer carving was on the Yangzi Delta and the southern province of Zhejiang .

The works of the Jiajing era, which were settled a good hundred years later, show mannerist features in their often eccentric design and overloaded decor : Characteristic are octagonal, pumpkin- or chrysanthemum-shaped boxes, the surface of which is divided into small pieces with ornamental bands and then densely packed with a multitude of different patterns and motifs are filled. A return to the emphatically calm and simple forms of the classic carved lacquer period can then be observed under Jiajing's successor Wanli . The last Ming emperor, Tianqi, even worked as a lacquer carver. The fall of the dynasty in 1644 was accompanied by a drastic decline in this artisan technique.

In 1680, under the Qing Emperor Kangxi, a new carved lacquer factory was founded in the Forbidden City . Under Qianlong , technology finally experienced a last, strongly eclectic heyday: Technically virtuoso, stylistically but not very original, the masterpieces of the lacquer carvers from the Song era to Wanli were imitated.

The products of Far Eastern lacquer carving were highly valued in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to porcelain , they were the main export product of the Middle Kingdom.

Europe

On the basis of East Asian imported goods, a separate lacquerware production soon developed in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the absence of knowledge of the composition of the paints used in China, the results remained rather imperfect for a long time. The centers of European lacquer art were Amsterdam , London and Paris . Well-known German lacquer artists were Martin Schnell in Dresden and the Stobwasser family in Braunschweig (lacquer painting).

The Museum of Lacquer Art is located in Münster as a special museum with the largest German cross-sectional collection of lacquer art.

technology

preparation

In lacquer carving, the resin of the lacquer tree (Rhus vernificera) is applied to a basic form in up to two hundred wafer-thin layers. Before applying a new layer, the form must rest for at least a week; A large piece can therefore take two years to prepare before the first cut can be done. The lacquer layer is sometimes over an inch thick. A particularly fine varnish is used for the last layer.

Machining

Once the preparation is complete, the workpiece is stored for a week in a dust-free room with the right temperature and humidity. The carving work must then be carried out as long as the lacquer is soft enough to work with a sharp knife. The lacquer worker has a number of different knives available for the respective pattern. Slipping can mean weeks of corrections.

Sometimes different colored layers of varnish are applied; then part of the top layer is removed to reveal the color of the layer below. Finally, polishing is done with fine-grain slate powder that is applied with the ball of the hand. In addition to lacquer carving, painting, engraving and / or inlay work on a workpiece are usual for lacquer work.

layout

Occasionally, special color effects were achieved by partially exposing the ocher-colored surface of the support body. Floral motifs were often chosen as decor. Sometimes an astonishing botanical precision can be recorded, up to the meticulous, detailed reproduction of the arrangement and shape of the stamens of the represented peony , lotus or hibiscus flowers . In addition, dragons and phoenixes , figurative motifs, historical or mythological scenes and complex landscape scenarios were often depicted. In the interest of illusionistic plasticity, the "empty" earth, water or sky surfaces that are regularly encountered in the latter were filled with rhombuses, asterisks or the like.

See also

Lacquer tree , Chinese lacquer art

literature