China News Service, Beijing, July 9th (Reporter Ying Ni) The "Zhu Yanhuaqi-Qianlong Lacquer Exhibition from the Palace Museum Collection", co-sponsored by the Palace Museum and the Guardian Art Center, officially opened to the public on July 9th at the Guardian Art Center.
The exhibition selects more than 100 pieces of lacquerware from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty collected in the Palace Museum, and strives to present the style characteristics and artistic aesthetics of the lacquer craftsmanship of this period.
Lacquer craftsmanship is one of the oldest traditional handicrafts in China. A lacquer bow dating back 8000 years was discovered at the Kuahuqiao site, and a lacquer bowl 7000 years ago was unearthed at the Hemudu site. Later, it experienced the continuous development of lacquerware craftsmanship. , The variety of lacquerware has become more abundant, and it is still being produced continuously with its luxurious and subtle and compatible characteristics.
At the opening ceremony on the 8th, Wang Yuegong, the deputy director of the Palace Museum, stated that there are more than 18,000 sets of lacquerware in the Palace Museum, of which the Qing Dynasty lacquer ware accounts for the largest proportion, especially the mid-Qing lacquerware represented by the Qianlong Dynasty. An important part of the collection.
Photo courtesy of Guardian Art Center
He said that in the early days of the Qianlong Dynasty, the national power of the Qing Dynasty entered its heyday, laying the foundation for the unprecedented development of court arts and crafts.
Among the many types of craftsmanship, lacquerware was favored by Emperor Qianlong, which made the lacquerware used in the court prosperous.
In the Qing Dynasty, the Office of Internal Affairs Office and Suzhou Weaving Co., Ltd. contracted to make palace lacquerware. Emperor Qianlong often personally supervised and put forward clear requirements. As a result, the variety of lacquerware was extremely diverse. The craftsmanship was mainly divided into lacquer painting, decoration stacking, and carving. Filling, engraving, inlaying, etc.
Among them, Tihong was produced in large quantities because of the preference of Emperor Qianlong in the lacquer carving process.
This exhibition divides the exhibits into four units: lacquer carving, decoration and gold lacquer, gold color lacquer and filling lacquer, and inlay based on the common craftsmanship types of lacquerware used in the court of the Qing Dynasty. In addition, five units of imitation lacquer enamel are added. Hope to reflect A complete picture of the lacquer craftsmanship of the Qianlong Dynasty.
Kou Qin, general manager of the Guardian Art Center, said that this is the second time that the Palace Museum and Guardian have joined hands after the 2019 Palace Museum Collection Exhibition, and the 2020 "Majestic Treasure-The Palace Museum Collection Exhibition".
The two parties undertake the mission of cultural development in different fields and perspectives. The "Zhu Yanhuaqi-Qianlong Lacquerware Exhibition from the Palace Museum" focuses on Qing Dynasty lacquerware in the Palace Museum. The two institutions will also focus on traditional cultural relics exhibition curatorial ideas, In-depth exploration of on-site artistic expression, information transmission and many other aspects, and further thinking and practice on how Chinese traditional culture, cultural relics and artworks are displayed in the new era, how to spread, and how to dialogue with the public.
During the guided tour, Xing Na, deputy research librarian of the Craft Group of the Artifacts Department of the Palace Museum, introduced the key exhibits in detail to the guests.
She said that the Qing dynasty palace lacquer was restored to production in the Qianlong dynasty, and the overall characteristics of the era were formed on the basis of inheriting the lacquer craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty and produced in large quantities.
There are many kinds of utensils, in terms of their functions, everything from imperial ordinances to daily utensils is included.
There are everything from a large screen throne to a few meters wide, to a small ink cartridge cigarette pot with a height of an inch.
The lacquer carving craftsmanship of the Qianlong dynasty reached its extreme, pushing the ancient lacquer carving craftsmanship to another peak.
In terms of gold lacquerware, according to the literature, gold lacquerware was produced during the Yongzheng dynasty, but the number is not large.
During the Qianlong dynasty, the production volume was relatively large, and the decorative themes were abundant, among which the auspicious and bionic themes were mostly.
At the same time, the Kangxi dynasty of the Qing Dynasty was more prevalent in making gold-colored lacquerware. Although the production of the Yongzheng dynasty is documented, there are very few physical objects left.
The Qianlong Dynasty was a period of vigorous development of gold color lacquer craftsmanship, which not only produced large quantities, but also had many fine products.
Its outstanding features are thick gold, bright colors, fine patterns, and the overall decoration is radiant and bright, with a strong palace color and atmosphere.
In addition to the bionics and antiques, the cross imitation of other different materials and techniques has become one of the highlights of the Qing Dynasty court utensils. Imitation of porcelain lacquerware is one of the representative types.
Imitation lacquer porcelain generally uses bright glaze color to approach the color of lacquer. For example, imitating botanical vermilion lacquer chrysanthemum-petal porcelain, and using the technique of carving porcelain to imitate carved lacquer, they are truly indistinguishable and can be described as unique.
This form of imitation is also the place where the emperor game craftsmanship is interesting.
It is reported that the exhibition is jointly sponsored by the Palace Museum and Guardian Art Center and will last until October 12, during which salons and lectures will be held to bring audiences detailed knowledge about lacquerware.
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