| Transcript |
- of the stone is wasted. After the jade material and design were selected, it was handed over to the workshop, where it was made into its rough shape. After being inspected, it was carved into its final shape, inspected again and then polished. The finished products were examined and placed into categories. In judging a carving, excellence of the jade-stone came first, followed by freshness and origi�nality in presenting the subject matter, and next was the skill in executing the de�sign by using the colouring and the shape of the jade to its best advantage. The High Inspector would judge the products and note the results. The exceptionally well done carvings would receive praise and honour, while the average ones would get a nod and be passed. (The emperor also inspected vast numbers of jade carv�ings, choosing only the finest for his palaces. Many other fine pieces were set aside to be used as imperial gifts for important dignitaries.) If pieces were not passed due to slight carving mistakes, the workers would be reprimanded. But if the mistakes were more serious, then the workers would be punished. They could have their salaries either withheld or reduced, or they might not be allowed to re�port expenses. Also they might be liable for damages and have to pay compensa�tion for the jade which was ruined.
The making of jade objects involved numerous workmen and a long period of time to complete. The various stages of work were divided among a number of people, each stage specializing in one particular phase of the production. There were usually eight or nine stages involved with the making of one object: (1) selec�tion of the jade material, (2) making the design, (3) sawing material if necessary, (4) drilling holes or hollowing out, (5) making of the rough shape, (6) making of the final carved shape with detailed patterns, (7) polishing the jade, (8) if necessary, carving of an inscription, and (9) if necessary making the object look old (e.g., boil�ing the jade to give an �antique� look). Each object required a team effort to com�plete. Because there were so many different types of work to be done on the jade pieces, a sort of jade guild was formed for the complex work. The designers and selectors of the jade material were put in charge of the whole operation. The more difficult the task of the worker, the more important he was on the team. The sawing and drilling was relatively easy, while the detailed carving, engraving of characters, and artificially aging of the jade were more difficult processes. These Qing jade craftsmen were able to do much more intricate work at a greater speed than ever before. They were generally quite well treated at the palace workshops.25
In many cases the making of just one piece of jade involved a tremendous amount of manpower at a huge cost. Fifty to sixty workers might take several months to complete just one small item.26
The greatest jade carving project was the making of the world�s largest jade sculpture. It is a miniature jade mountain entitled �Jade Mountain Pagoda of the Mysterious and Diligent Yu the Great Governing the Waters.� This carving, which weighs seven tons and has a height of 224 cm, takes its design from a Song dyna�sty painting entitled �The Great Yu Rules the Floods,� which is based on the legen�dary flood-prevention works of the ruler, Yu, about 2205 B.C. The complete carv�ing project for this jade object involved a very long and complicated procedure. It first started in 1778 when a huge piece of greenish white nephrite was sent as tri�bute by the Governor of Chinese Turkestan to Emperor Qianlong. On March 4, 1781 sketched designs were made of the four sides of the piece, and on April 20th a wax mountain was completed from the designs. The enormous jade piece and the wax model were then sent to the Salt Administration at Lianghuai (Yangzhou) to be carved by their jade craftsmen. Fearing the wax model would melt over a long period of time, the Yangzhou carvers had a wooden mountain carved after
38
|
|---|
