Chinese Carved Lacquer

Carved lacquer is one of Chinese ancient lacquer handicrafts. It comes of Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), in Song and Yuan Dynasty, early or late appeared incising black lacquer, incising color lacquer ware and incising Xi pattern lacquer ware. Up to Ming and Qing Dynasty, the carved lacquer handicraft has been developed continuously, the kinds of carved lacquer ware have increased.

The carved lacquer's categories classified copper-body carved lacquer ware (if copper-body lacquer ware, inner body will be enamel burning) gold or silver body carved lacquer ware; also have wooden body carved lacquer ware and bodiless carved lacquer ware.

The carved lacquer ware manufacture cycle is at least half year. The first step, paint the lacquer on the ready body. And must put the painted lacquer's body in the moist space to make the lacquer dry. Then paint the second layer of lacquer. Otherwise couldn't paint the second layer of lacquer. Sometimes some carved lacquer ware needs 500-600 layers of lacquer. So only painting lacquer lasted nearly one year. Then carve the lacquer according to designer's patterns.

The characteristic of Beijing carved lacquer ware is well-known for its exquisite carving handicraft, smooth lacquer color, the primitive simplicity sculpt and imperial noble style. In the past, only plane carving and shallow relief engraving. Now the artists created hollow carving lacquer technique and inlaid (mosaic) handicraft in carved lacquer ware.

Beijing Carved lacquer ware is one of the Chinese famous traditional arts and crafts commodities.