Taiwan Today

TEXT AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF

The 's rich collection of curios includes dazzling works of lacquerware and enamelware.

In its vast holdings, the National Palace Museum (NPM) in has a collection of antiquities that were often called "miscellaneous" or "curio objects" in the past, but which the museum now refers to as "Treasured Objects." The NPM collection of treasured objects is comprised of more than 25,000 pieces, including the colorful forms of lacquerware and enamelware, which are craftworks that would have adorned and signified majesty in the palaces of the imperial court. This category also includes intricate carvings, engravings, and openwork sculptures in ivory and wood. Objects found in traditional scholars' studios include all the implements required by the refined Confucian of learning. Another category of treasured objects includes beautiful and intricate accessories and items that were worn on the body and were used for both ritual and decorative purposes. As for the gifts that emperors would bestow upon favored court officials, the treasured objects category includes scepters, snuff bottles and flint lighters. The collection of Tibetan Buddhist implements is a result of the exchange with the religious authorities of on the part of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) court.

These works not only reveal the taste of the Qing court in collecting antiquities, but also serve as an overview of the concepts about the arts that prevailed in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty courts. Throughout the course of dynastic reign in , official agencies were placed in charge of managing the objects required by the emperor and the court. These institutions oversaw and supervised craftsmen in the production of these objects, including the Directorate of Imperial Manufactories, Supervisory of Imperial Manufacturing, and Palace Provisions Commission. More specifically, in the Qing dynasty, the Palace Workshops in the Imperial Household Department were directly established under the auspices of the Yangxin Hall of the emperor and the of the empress. The Palace Workshops contained specialized workshops for producing various handicrafts, including those made of gold and jade, clocks, glasswares, enamels and cases and mountings. In the Palace Workshops, the finest craftsmen from all over the country were assembled, as well as those with specialized talents from , , and even .

Lacquerware

Lacquerware involves applying the refined sap of the lacquer tree to an object as a form of coloring and decoration. In the late Ming dynasty, Huang Cheng wrote the Catalogue of Lacquer Embellishment, in which he listed more than 100 techniques popular in the art of lacquerware at the time, including the major technique categories of carved lacquer, engraved gold lacquer, filled lacquer, painted lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlay. However, most of the lacquerware pieces in the collection that were transported to and are now at NPM are from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The art of carved lacquerware involves applying layer after layer of lacquer sap onto an object until it reaches a certain thickness. A design is then carved into the layers. A technique using only red-colored lacquer layers is called ti hong in Mandarin, or "carved red," while that involving layers of different colors of lacquer is referred to as ti cai, or "carved color." The art of ti hong was especially popular in certain areas of mainland during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1272-1368) dynasties, even spreading to , where it gained a wide audience. During the Yongle and Xuande reigns of the Ming dynasty, craftsmen who specialized in the technique of ti hung were even admitted to the court as officials, showing just how strongly the court felt about this art form.

Among the surviving pieces of lacquerware are red carved pieces with inscriptions reading, "Produced in the Yongle Reign of the Great Ming." Many of the pieces have up to 100 layers of lacquer, featuring a date-red color and lustrous shine with intricate details of floral decoration that flow over the surface as if alive. Those pieces with figures and buildings are arranged as if in a painting, the skillful carving being polished and rounded to perfection while concealing all traces of the knifework. Yongle pieces are generally referred to as works of the "Orchard Factory," which represented the highest level of achievement in the art of lacquerware at the time.

In the latter Ming era during the Jiajing and Wanli reigns, the court workshops specialized in the production of ti tsai. Again, layers of lacquer, this time in different colors, were applied. Lines and patterns were then carved away to reveal a colorful effect that complemented the subject of the decoration, such as red blossoms and green leaves, or black stones and purple clouds.

Everywhere in the palaces during the Qing dynasty were large pieces of carved red lacquerware furniture and display pieces made in the form of cabinets, dragon thrones, and screens. Many of them were submitted to the throne as tribute. Covered with dense decoration and carved with exceptional detail, they present another facet in the beautiful realm of Chinese lacquerware.

Enamelware

Enamelware is the art of firing and melting glass-like material onto the surface of a metal vessel. There are three major techniques for making enamelware. The first involves the process of laying out and soldering a pattern of metal filaments onto the surface of vessel. Then the enamel pigments are placed into the spaces and fired to melt them. The entire piece is then ground and polished to create an art form known as "cloisonne." The second technique involves engraving and hammering the scrolling floral decoration, which is then filled with enamel pigments and fired, a technique known as "champleve." In the third technique, the body of the vessel is fired with opaque glaze, then painted with the desired pattern. Fired again to complete the process, the finished product is known as painted enamelware. All three methods were originally imported from foreign sources, but they were incorporated into the arts of to form their own unique niche.

Cloisonne enamelware originally became popular in the culture of the . In the Yuan dynasty, when was part of the Mongol Empire, cloisonne enamelware was introduced and became known as "Arabic ware," and was held in high esteem for its golden hue and multi-color decorations. The most admired of all the cloisonne pieces made in the workshops of the early Ming dynasty court were those produced in the reign of Jingtai, hence the term "Jingtai Blue." Many later generations forged the Jingtai reign mark, making it very difficult to distinguish authentic pieces from later imitations. However, generally speaking, the solid body, bright coloring of the glaze materials, dense decoration and clarity of gilding are features of early Ming court productions. In the Qing dynasty, cloissone was used to make large decorative display pieces to adorn the interiors of many palace buildings and temples.

The art of painted enamelware was introduced to in the 17th century by Western missionaries and merchants. Catching the eye of Qing dynasty emperor Kangxi, an enamelware workshop was eventually established at the court to research and develop this art form. By the late Kangxi era, the art and technique had been perfected, and many Western colors, such as pink and pastel green, were adopted and utilized by painters at the court to render delicate and fascinating scenes and decoration. Painted enamelware was developed and utilized on the porcelain, dark clay and glass bodies of the vessels. In the reigns of Qing dynasty emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong, new colors were developed to give the painted decorations even greater beauty and liveliness. In addition to traditional bird-and-flower subjects, there were also Western-style figures and landscapes as well as shading and perspective techniques to produce a wide variety of decorative themes, bringing the art of painted enamelware at the Qing court to the peak of its development in the history of Chinese arts and crafts.

Copyright © 2008 by