An exquisite filigree mosaic handicraft is often a combination of various techniques, and the production process is more complicated.
First of all, it should be made into a tire shape, then it should be made into a semi-finished product through the processes of filament, spatula and chisel, and then it should be made into a semi-finished product through the processes of pickling, blue burning (glazing), gold or silver plating, calendering and gem setting.
Two techniques of filigree mosaic
1, filament technology
The first process of filigree technology is drawing filigree, also called drawing.
Before wire drawing, precious metal strips such as gold and silver should be repeatedly pressed on the tape winder until they become square strips with appropriate thickness, and then formal wire drawing can be started.
Six processes of filament:
Pinch: the process of kneading filaments into various patterns with tweezers or pliers and sticking them on utensils. Pinch technology is the basic skill in filigree mosaic technology, and it is also the most difficult technology to master.
Filling: commonly known as filling silk, it is to fill the made filament pattern in the specified pattern.
Weaving: Weave tassel patterns and different shapes of shading with filaments, then stick them on the shading, make different flower patterns by various technological methods, and then finish them by welding.
2. Mosaic process
If the essence of filigree mosaic lies in filigree, then the later mosaic can play a wonderful role in making the finishing point.
The setting requirements are "good setting, flat setting and beautiful setting". Different angles of the same gem will directly affect the appearance.
In ancient times, "inlay" was often used, and the bottom tire was made of "open gold" formula, which means hard and can tightly wrap the stone surface with claws; Then diamonds became popular, but the inlay was not competent, so they used platinum chisel, which was called "extrusion inlay" Some jewelry inlaid with filigree is also decorated with green dots and burning blue.
At present, the filigree mosaic technology only exists in Beijing and Chengdu, and the filigree mosaic technology in Beijing is the most complete. Beijing filigree mosaic embodies the characteristics of China palace filigree mosaic technology.
Beauty of gold and silver wire inlaid jewelry in Ming and Qing Dynasties
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the filigree inlay technology reached a new level of pure furnace green, which can be said to be a masterpiece of past dynasties in terms of expression techniques, showing the luxurious and exquisite artistic style of jewelry.
"Fine" and "Transparent" Silk Technology in Ming Dynasty
The representative work of honeysuckle silk craft in Ming Dynasty is Longyi Jiaguan gold silk unearthed in Dingling, Beijing and collected in Dingling Museum.
Jewelry inlays were popular in the Ming Dynasty. There are ruby, sapphire, agate, crystal and so on, among which ruby is the most. When luxurious and gorgeous jewelry and exquisite filigree technology are combined, they complement each other, which is both elegant and dazzling.
Sunflower-shaped gold hairpin inlaid with precious stones is in the Ming Dynasty Capital Museum.
The sunflower and gold hairpin inlaid with precious stones unearthed from the Ming tomb outside You 'anmen in Beijing is one of the typical filigree mosaic works.
Length13.5cm, weight 76.8g.. It has a big sunflower shape and is divided into three layers. The flower core is yellow tourmaline, and the silk flower core is surrounded by tourmaline. Weld a circle of twisted wire around the stone bowl to make it more solid. In the outer ring of the flower heart, there are eight petals inlaid with rubies, and the edges of the petals are also surrounded by filaments. The outermost petals are also inlaid with red and blue gems, which makes the jewelry more colorful. Overlapping petals and decorative filaments make the whole product vivid and three-dimensional.
The characteristics and techniques of arts and crafts are closely related to the times. What kind of aesthetic fashion there is, what kind of techniques there will be.
Thanks to the aesthetic tendency of "fiber" and "transparency" in the Ming Dynasty, the filigree technology has been fully exerted, and the skillful technology has deepened people's favor for this kind of products and constantly pursued its exquisite effect. The two complement each other, and finally contributed to the unique filigree arts and crafts in the Ming Dynasty.
"Refinement" and "Refinement" of Gold and Silver in Qing Dynasty
The exquisite gold and silver handicrafts in the Qing Dynasty are similar to the filigree handicrafts in the Ming Dynasty-gorgeous and complicated vision, both of which have the style of Baroque art in the Middle Ages of the West. However, the products of the two dynasties were also different: in general, the jewelry of the Ming Dynasty was not completely simple, and the jewelry of the Qing Dynasty became more neat and gorgeous. In terms of craftsmanship, the delicate and exquisite craftsmanship unique to jewelry in the Qing Dynasty is also beyond the reach of jewelry in the Ming Dynasty.
The processing characteristics of filigree jewelry in Qing dynasty can be summarized by the words "fine" and "fine". Compared with the jewelry of the Ming Dynasty, the jewelry of the Qing Dynasty has undergone great changes in both shape and decoration, and it no longer has a simple meaning, but tends to pursue the unique richness and luxury of the palace gold and silver works of art.
The modeling of jewelry in Qing dynasty tends to be realistic, and the characteristics of decorative patterns are dense and gorgeous, or elegant and gorgeous. After adding exquisite gems, the products are more colorful and glittering. The "fineness" and "fineness" of filigree technology in Qing dynasty made the products reach a superb level in modeling and decorative treatment.
There are many masterpieces of gold and silver products handed down from the Qing Dynasty, among which royal products are the most distinctive.
From the use point of view, royal products include crowns, daily necessities, furnishings and exhibitions, legal books and seals, sacrificial utensils, religious supplies and so on.
From the source, there are two kinds of royal products, one is a golden jade work specially made for the royal family; The other kind is the tribute from the local governors. Tributes mostly come from Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and other places. These places have a long history of making gold and silver products, and the talents are relatively concentrated. Traditional crafts are passed down from generation to generation.
Now the Palace Museum's collection of "five phoenix inlaid with emerald" is the phoenix twinkle worn by the queen of the Qing Dynasty when she wears a dragon robe.
This phoenix-shaped cymbal is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, high at the front and low at the back. It is carved into a chain network pattern with cardboard, and the surface is all green. The front of the cymbal is decorated with five golden silk phoenixes, and the bottom row of phoenixes is decorated with nine silver-plated pearls of Jinzhai, Phoenix and Zhai's. There are tassels made of pearls, corals, turquoise, lapis lazuli and rubies on the front and back of cymbals, including 50 big pearls, hundreds of second-and third-class pearls and more than 200 precious stones, just like precious stones.
Unearthed in Shangzhuang Township, Haidian District, Beijing, and now in the Capital Museum, the "shrimp-shaped gold ornaments with inlaid silk in Qing Dynasty" embodies the exquisite and luxurious characteristics of jewelry in Qing Dynasty.
Taking the "shrimp" on it as an example, its modeling technology is more detailed than that of the previous dynasty, and its modeling is more realistic and realistic. The gem inlay technology above is also skillful, and the filigree in the inlay is handled very carefully. The shrimp body adopts the silk laying process in the silk weaving process, which makes it more stereoscopic and full. The vivid scenes such as lotus flowers and duckweeds produced by the surrounding silk weaving process are like the lotus pictures of shrimp playing in Chinese paintings.
The filigree craft in Qing Dynasty not only tends to be realistic and vivid in animal modeling, but also fully demonstrates its ability to use gold thread in attic and vessel modeling.
Compared with the previous generation, jewelry in the Qing Dynasty is more technical and visually gorgeous. For example, the gold earrings in the shape of palace lanterns unearthed in Shijingshan, Beijing, create a rich sense of space and layering through various filigree techniques, and every detail is well done.
This product is not so much a piece of jewelry for people to wear as a work of art for people to ponder.
Through the appreciation of the above works, we can roughly understand the characteristics of filigree jewelry in Ming and Qing dynasties: First, compared with the previous generation, filigree technology began to occupy a dominant position in many jewelry making processes; Second, the combination of filigree technology and inlay technology makes the color technology of jewelry gorgeous and rich; Thirdly, in the treatment of decorative patterns, filigree technology can show its three-dimensional vivid characteristics better than other technologies; Fourthly, the filigree craft conforms to the aesthetic tendency of Ming and Qing dynasties, and pushes the rich and luxurious jewelry to the extreme in the craft.