What are the main shapes of jade ornaments in the Ming Dynasty?

The decorative role of jade ornament is consistent with that of jade belt ornament. Since ancient times, people's love for jade has increased unabated, jade ornaments prevailed in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the size of jade pendants in the Qing Dynasty was larger than that of the Ming Dynasty, the shape is generally oval or square, and the pattern is meticulous and regular. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the card-shaped wear appeared increasingly thick and clumsy, and the content of the pattern not only inherited the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, but also appeared drama characters, ** stories, etc.

There are many jade ornaments, and the varieties are relatively complete, including bi, ring, xuanji, shank-shaped device, tube, bead, huang, and large-scale complex structure, which is a new variety of ornaments. The animal jade and jade are decorated with cows, deer, tigers, rabbits, bears, horses, sheep, fish, pigeons, birds, eagles, silkworms, turtles, cicadas, shells, dragons, phoenixes, dragons and phoenixes, animal faces and gluttony.

The deer is the most distinctive image of the animal-shaped jade carving in the Western Zhou Dynasty, mainly seen in the Baoji National Cemetery in Shaanxi, the Shangcun Lingyu National Cemetery in Sanmenxia, Henan, etc., most of them are reliefs, and there are also a small number of round carving works, which are generally placed in the chest and abdomen of the deceased. Jade deer are male and female, large and small.

The jade tiger is mainly seen in the cemetery of Baoji State in Shaanxi, placed on the chest of the deceased, all of which are reliefs, vivid and realistic in form, and compared with the jade tiger in the late Shang Dynasty.

Jade silkworms are more common, mainly used in jade charms and jade group wear, most of them are round carving works, end to section, 5 sections and 10 sections, with 6 sections being the most common. The silkworm body is mostly hooked or arc-shaped, and the carving is fine.

The jade carving animals in the decorative jade of the Western Zhou Dynasty are rich in varieties, including jade cicadas, jade rabbits, jade sheep, jade dragons, etc. There are three-dimensional and flake-like, and the ornamentation is mostly carved with yin lines, the shape is unique, and the production is ingenious.

Jade ornaments, is worn on the body of the jade ornament, the most diverse and very complex, roughly speaking, there are headdresses, earrings, necklaces, hand ornaments, body ornaments several categories, since it is worn on the body of the jade ornaments, it must meet two minimum conditions: the first is that the type can not be too large; The second is to have a perforation, which can be tied and hung. However, there are some exceptions, such as the big jade dragon of the Hongshan culture, although it has perforations, but because of its coarse body, it should not be an ornament worn on the human body, but a totem worship or sacrificial article.

The jade of the Ming Dynasty, especially the early jade, the composition is concise, the lines are smooth, and the carving knife is skillful, such as the gold buckle hollow cloud dragon jade belt cast unearthed from the tomb of Wang Xingzu in the fourth year of Hongwu in the early Ming Dynasty, and the gold-inlaid white jade Ganoderma lucidum pattern belt plate unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Tan in the twenty-second year of Hongwu, although it has the legacy of the Song and Yuan dynasties, it is still the best in the jade ornaments of the early Ming Dynasty. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were obvious style changes, the use of lines tended to be fine, the composition was stricter, the knife technique was slightly more clever and fast, the edges and corners were more obvious, and it was not good at hiding the front. After the late Jiajing, there was a new prosperous scene, especially the increase of large-scale three-dimensional vessels, forming a distinctive characteristic of the times, which was a rare achievement in the history of jade cutting before the Ming Dynasty.

The basic characteristics of Ming jade grinding include the oily and shiny glass luster on the surface of the jade, the parallel polishing method is mostly adopted for the contour line of the pattern, the pattern level is treated by hollow openwork, and some works retain the traces of pipe drilling, and the decorative characteristics of the back grain and the "swastika" pattern. The carving of the Ming Dynasty was rough and strong, but often ignored the carving of the details, the carving technology was not informal, only paid attention to the surface when grinding, did not pay much attention to both sides, and the details were relatively sloppy, so there was a coarse Ming said.

Jade ornaments have a special place in the history of Chinese civilization. "The Five Classics" says that jade is "warm and moist, similar to wisdom; Sharp but not harmful, similar to benevolence; or unyielding, similar to righteousness; Flaws on the inside must be seen on the outside, and there are like beliefs; It hangs like a pendant, and it is like a courtesy. Confucius said, "The beauty of jade is like the virtue of a gentleman."

He believes that jade has the qualities of a gentleman, such as benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, courtesy, happiness, loyalty, faithfulness, heaven, earth, virtue, and Tao. There is a sentence in the "Book of Songs" that "the gentleman of words and thoughts is as warm as jade". The ancients endowed Meiyu with so many human qualities that people still refer to the humble gentleman as "gentle as jade".

How do you get in love? The beautiful jade embellished Luo Ying" and "Luo Ying" are the colored ribbons that were tied around the waist when ancient women got married, to show that people belong, so there are "knots in the Book of Songs, ninety of their rituals." When describing the marriage of her daughter, the mother reluctantly tied the knot with her, which is called "knotting", which later became a synonym for marriage in ancient times.

In the "Ancient Poetry Notes" of the Qing Wenren, "beautiful jade ornamented with Luo Ying" is interpreted as "embellished with jade, to the knot of affection." "The ancient woman's jade knot for the person she liked, and her mind was clear.

The Song Dynasty in China was an era of unprecedented development and prosperity of handicrafts, industry and commerce, with a rich country and a strong culture and a developed culture. Folk jade is also more prosperous than the previous dynasty, and a large number of various jade ornaments and jade utensils appear. The jade ware of the Two Song Dynasty inherits the painting style of the Two Song Dynasty, and usually the composition of the picture is complex, multi-layered, with both form and spirit, with a strong interest in painting, and a strong literati interest.

Ornaments are divided into jade belts, jade pendants, jade chariots, jade chimes, ritual utensils have jade gui, jade books and so on. The inner court has a special jade work, and the jade material is paid tribute by the countries of the Western Regions.

The Ming and Qing dynasties were another era of flourishing jade culture, when it was popular for people to wear various jade ornaments. Rich people go up to the front of the brim of the hat, from the jade waist plate, the jade pendant, to the jade shoe buckle, almost all over the body is jade. Ordinary people often bring jade bracelets, jade earrings, jade wrenches, etc.

Most of the jade materials used are green jade, white jade, green and white jade, etc. Among them, the mutton fat white jade produced in Hotan, Xinjiang is the most valuable, and topaz is also very valuable. Jadeite also flowed into China in the early Qing Dynasty.

However, because jadeite stone is generally relatively small, it is mostly used to make interfaces, earrings and other small pieces. Most of the jade ornaments we see today are the products of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The differences between Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty jade pendants are:

The Ming Dynasty carved jade on the basis of the previous generation of innovation, the jade carving knife method is rough and powerful, there is a real three-layer openwork method, the carving is very fine. In the late Ming Dynasty, due to the prevalence of Taoism, the jade carving process was affected, and there were more Taoist symbols such as cloud cranes, pine cranes, and hexagrams. The utensils of the Ming Dynasty are stable and decent, the design is novel, and the workmanship is fine.

The hollowing method of this period was to use brazing to hollow holes on both sides. At the same time, the jade of the Ming Dynasty was smooth, and the frame of the carved ware was as smooth as the pattern inside. It is not commensurate with the fineness of the Ming Dynasty is a process after the jade treatment - the grinding is relatively rough.

The middle of the Qing Dynasty was a new peak period in the development of jade carving technology, and during the Qianlong period, Beijing became the center of jade governance in the country, and thus developed into a new jade school - Jinggong. At this time, the selection of jade materials, processing and other processes are more stringent.

There are a variety of jade cutting techniques such as skillful (pretty color method) and semi-relief carving. Most of the jade carvings in the Qing Dynasty are exquisite and exquisite, and the image is realistic. The ornamental patterns of this period are more colorful, in addition to the prevalence of antique bronze ornamentation, auspicious ornamentation, words are the main theme at that time.

The Ming and Qing dynasties were the period when a large number of auspicious jade objects appeared.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the relationship between jade and social and cultural life became increasingly close, and antique jade shapes such as furnaces, scents, bottles, tripods, and guis emerged in endlessly. Jade tea and wine utensils are very popular. When literati painted and wrote in their studies, they often used jade to make stationery such as pen washes, water injections, pen holders, ink beds, paperweights, arm rests, etc., or to decorate furnishings with jade.

Due to the different jade materials, the different jade tools and jade cutting techniques, as well as the different aesthetic tastes and customs, the shape and theme style of jade in each period are also diverse. The main characteristics of jade modeling in the Ming and Qing dynasties are: it is closely related to the painting, calligraphy and craft carving at that time, and fully inherits a variety of grinding techniques and techniques of jade in the previous generation.

And there is a significant development and improvement, the grinding method highlights the sense of volume, and the pursuit of fine brush painting skills. The beauty of its jade, the variety and the wide range of applications are unprecedented.

Qing Dynasty grinding method, strict requirements, rules and circles, lines such as rulers, round like a full moon, posture and corners round and smooth, whether it is the inner chamber of the utensils, side walls or marks, feet and other secondary parts are also meticulous, inside and outside are laborious, the workmanship is very exquisite, hollow is particularly important, enough to be false and real, beautiful jade color combination of various colors seamless.

The painting and decoration of jade in the Ming Dynasty are mainly animal and plant patterns.

The ornamentation of jade in the Ming Dynasty is mainly based on animal and plant patterns, such as dragons, phoenixes, lions, tigers, deer, sheep, cranes, geese, peonies, lotuses, orchids, Ganoderma lucidum, etc., or the edge decorations are 10,000 characters, happy characters, longevity characters, etc.

Expansion of the selected motifs for the painting ornamentation of jade in the Ming Dynasty:

1. Ruishi liquid animal pattern is a common pattern of ancient jade, symbolizing status, dignity, wealth and beautiful meaning. The main types of jade ornaments painted in the Ming Dynasty are dragons, phoenixes, claws, unicorns, pixiu and so on. The carving technique often adopts openwork or openwork, and is accompanied by a yin carved line to draw the texture on the body of the beast, and the auspicious cloud pattern is added to the bottom foot or blank place, which matches each other and means beautiful.

2, animal and plant ornamentation is also one of the commonly used theme carving ornaments in the Ming Dynasty, common animal patterns are deer, cranes, sheep, geese, swans, etc., plant ornaments are Meilan, bamboo chrysanthemum, four gentlemen, tangled branch lotus, okra, peony, Ganoderma lucidum, sea search begonia, etc., some of the artifacts and animals and plants are decorated with each other, coupled with ingenuity, the things made are vivid and vivid.

3. Character ornamentationThis kind of ornamentation rarely appears in the jade theme of the Ming Dynasty, and is commonly found in jade belt plates and some jade furnishings. In the Ming Dynasty, jade was commonly decorated with immortal figures or Taoist figures, such as the Eight Immortals, the Hidden Gaoshi Figure, and some ornaments such as the hand-held peach, the Ganoderma lucidum "crane" dance, the bridge bucket sent the "bat" pattern and so on.

There are also a small number of jade paintings with children, which are small and simple, and are worth playing with.

The development and change of jade in the Ming Dynasty is also related to the changes in society, on the whole, the jade of the Ming Dynasty gradually departed from the artistic tradition of jade in the five dynasties and the two Song dynasties, and formed an artistic style that pursues the beauty of fine carving and decoration.

The royal jade of the Ming Dynasty was produced by the imperial superintendent, and the folk view of jade, the wind of appreciating jade prevailed, and there were jade shops in large cities with developed economy and culture, and the most famous jade center was Suzhou. At the same time, a large number of antique fake jade were also manufactured, and even the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was once deceived by the antique jade of the Ming Dynasty. In terms of the type of jade, the jade of the Ming Dynasty mainly includes jade ritual utensils, stationery supplies and daily utensils.

The main jade ritual vessels are jade bi and jade gui; Decorative jade has jade belt plates, belt hooks, buckles, hostas, chicken hearts, flower pieces, square jade plates, etc.; Stationery supplies include jade pens, pen holders, jade inkstones, jade washes, etc.; Daily utensils include jade boxes, jade cups, jade pots, and gold and jade holding pots.

The jade used in the court of the Ming Dynasty was mostly combined with gold, silver and gemstone inlay technology. This kind of utensils and gold and jade jewelry are integrated, and some are inlaid with rubies and sapphires on jade ornaments; with gold and jade-inlaid strip plates; There are gold ornaments inlaid with rubies and sapphires; All of them are graceful and luxurious, with jewels, highlighting the royal and aristocratic style of the Ming Dynasty.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the jade was handed down and found to have excellent works, and the style inherited from the Yuan Dynasty, and the workmanship was rigorous and exquisite. For example, the green jade twisted ring bracelet, the green jade is slightly light gray, translucent and smooth, polished by superb technology, exquisite and transparent, and has a strong sense of glass. Because it is carved from the same piece of jade, it is difficult for a master to succeed.

This jade bracelet is twisted into a twisted shape by three jade ropes, which are connected to each other, but they are independent, and they move freely. Worn on the wrist, as long as the hand moves slightly, it will make a crisp collision sound, which seems to warn the jade admirer not to behave excessively arrogantly.

The jade ware in the middle of the Ming Dynasty tended to be simpler, inheriting the prosperity of literati culture in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, and jade with literati colors appeared, such as green jade pine shade and cane cups. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the processing and distribution of jade were mostly concentrated in the southeast region such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Jiangxi and other places. Among them, the white jade iron canopy plum, white jade butterfly, jade chicken heart pendant, white jade belt hook, hollow longevity jade, jade ring, jade crown, hosta and other jade pieces found in the tomb of Lu Shen in Shanghai are small and exquisite, representing the jade of this period began to show the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty society, and the production and processing of jade can also truly represent the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty society.

The jade style of the Ming Dynasty is diverse, the characteristics of jade in the early Ming Dynasty, the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and the late Ming Dynasty are different, the early carving process is concise and vigorous, and the middle period tends to be exquisitely complicated. In the middle and late periods, the layered carving technique appeared, which appeared exquisite and clear, and achieved a more realistic artistic effect.

The biggest feature of jade in the early Ming Dynasty is that the Song and Yuan dynasties have a strong heritage. In the early Ming Dynasty, the jade workmanship was rigorous, the shape was beautiful, and the artistic style continued the characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, the overall style of ornamentation tended to be concise and bold, with dragons and phoenixes and flowers and birds as the main theme, flowers were good at depicting the large flowers of the whole plant, and the theme of landscape characters depicted historical stories.

The outstanding feature of jade in the middle of the Ming Dynasty is that it has a strong humanistic color. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the characteristics of jade began to get rid of the influence of the Song and Yuan dynasties and showed their own social characteristics. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, it was a prosperous era and a prosperous culture, so the jade was rich in humanistic color, and the shape was small and exquisite, which was suitable for wearing and using in the citizen stage.

In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, jade was delicate and delicate, and the floral motifs mostly used broken branches and entwined branches to form patterns, which had the characteristics of freshness and liveliness.

An important feature of jade in the late Ming Dynasty was the strong color of the Shang Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, jade production gradually improved, not only the output increased, and the variety, the subject matter is more abundant, Suzhou has become the national jade processing center, and jade has gradually been commercialized, frequent transactions, participation in overseas **, so there is a phenomenon of emphasizing quantity but not quality. In the late Ming Dynasty, jade with auspicious themes was especially popular, paying attention to "meaning must be auspicious".

The style of the late Ming Dynasty tended to be elaborate and slightly trivial.