雕刻一抹朱砂紅

清代詩人袁枚曾用“陰花細纈珊瑚明，赪霞隱隱東方生”來贊嘆雕漆之美，乾隆皇帝則用“不見刀痕見畫工”對雕漆工藝作出了高度的評價。雕漆器物是我們祖宗留下的最奢華的物質文化與精神財富之一，默默地向人們訴說著大唐的繁華、宋代的清雅、元代的渾厚、明清的細膩。

雕漆，又稱“剔紅”，主要工序為雕，主要原料為漆，制作過程是在厚厚的漆層上進行雕刻。為什么稱之為“剔”而不是雕呢？著名收藏家馬未都曾經有過解釋：雕，是雕刻。雕刻在我們心目中是硬碰硬的概念，比如篆刻印章、雕刻石像，都是硬碰硬；硬碰軟的時候才稱之為剔。那么，當漆器的漆膜形成一定厚度，在半干的狀態下，工匠用刀在上面輕輕剔出紋樣，是硬碰軟，所以叫剔，不叫雕。

雕漆制作歷史長達數千年，不同時期的器物有著獨特的鮮明特征。元代時，民間富賈大多以雕漆器作為婚嫁禮品，以剔紅器為多，取“如膠似漆”之意，造型則以盤、盒等實用器為主。明代雕漆漆色更加豐富，在元代的基礎上又出現了剔黃、剔彩器。造型比元代的增大增高，出現梅瓶、提匣、小柜、插屏等；崇尚纖巧華麗，繁縟細膩，刀法快利，鋒棱外露，不重視磨工。清代雕漆以乾隆時期最多，范圍幾乎涉及宮廷生活的各個方面，小到文房用具、桌椅柜幾，大到金鑾寶座；雕刻技法上融合了元代渾樸圓潤的特點和明代纖巧細膩的風格，形成了大氣富貴的獨特造詣。

一寸光陰一寸金

“我認識一位地產開發商，他看上一了塊地，拆樓的時候他盯上了樓里一些沒有被搬走的家具、工藝品，因為是識貨人，此公最后發現這些樓里面的寶貝比這塊地還值錢。這些寶貝里有相當一部分就是雕漆。”

講完這個故事，楊之新笑言：“要說投資，北京雕漆太有增值空間了，這是很明顯的事。”2007年，中國工藝美術大師文乾剛和陳厚棣創作了巨型雕漆盤《剔紅九龍鬧海盤》，這個大盤有1.9米高，以紫銅做胎，在文乾剛、陳厚棣兩位大師主持下，耗費一年多時間制作而成。大盤的托架由紅木制成，鏤空雕刻的靈芝云龍紋，精細而繁復。2010年，一位臺灣商人用40萬元購買了這個雕漆大盤，現在，臺灣商人有意出售，價位已漲到800萬元。

與一般的工藝品相比，雕漆工藝品創作周期很長，工藝復雜，如明古齋的《山水人物卷缸》的漆厚竟然達到20毫米，也就是說至少要刷340遍漆。硬化剖磨也不可小覷，在大師眼中，這如同“二次創作”，是雕刻的再精化。硬化就要三四個月，再加上技師用砂紙細細打磨出漆的光澤溫潤又要花費100天的時間，總體工作最起碼近一年。“做精品這是必須的”，楊之新說，“它就是一個時間的藝術品。”

除了費時，雕漆的工藝也讓它區別于一般的工藝品，并帶有天生的優越感。楊之新介紹，雕漆的每一道工藝都有專門的技術，設計、制胎、涂漆、描樣、雕刻、磨光……復雜繁難，一個人很難全掌握，從古至今，都是分工做，有人一輩子在制胎，有人一輩子在雕刻，有人一輩子在作舊……就算領做的，也是一個年齡只做一種活，20歲涂漆，30歲刀活兒，40歲設計策劃，可他只用幾年時間就將這些活兒全學會了。與其他藝術一樣，天分是最重要的因素。尤其是雕刻這一步除了熟練最考驗的是制作者的悟性，他說：“就如同武術中的刀法一樣，最高境界是心中有刀。”

雕漆有“一刀下去，不能悔刀”的說法，尤其是在創作人物時，要做到衣帶飄飄已很不易，再做到喜怒哀樂呼之欲出就更困難了。活靈活現的雕漆人物背后，是楊之新付出的無數心血與努力。當年，為了將呆板的雕漆人物刻畫出眉目傳情的生動效果，楊之新臨摹了大量古代繪畫作品，并收集明清兩代雕漆文物仔細研究。他還不辭幸勞到北京故宮、沈陽故宮、承德避暑山莊、山西云岡石窟、四川大足等名勝古跡寫生。曾經一度，為鍛煉對人物的造型能力，他每天下班后都趕到北京站，為形形色色的行人畫人像素描直至半夜，再趕末班車回家。

天道酬勤，如今，楊之新以高超的設計水平，精湛的雕刻技法，達到了運刀如筆、得心應手的境界，特別是在表現人物的創作上，融入立體雕塑和象牙雕刻技法，把人物的體貌和個性表現得惟妙惟肖。

收藏市場方興未艾

王強長期從事漆器的收藏和買賣。他介紹，目前漆器收藏市場呈現兩種狀況：一是漆器市場流通數量較少，精品更少；二是懂漆器的專業人士少。正因為如此，王強認為，漆器拍賣價格還有很大潛力可挖。2003年，他在國內以7萬元人民幣的價格拍出一個明朝嘉靖年間的花鳥盤，而完全相同的一個盤子，在2008年3月份紐約佳士得的春季拍賣會上竟拍到13萬美元的高價。王強認為，不同于玉器和瓷器，漆器收藏在業界仍然屬于冷門。國內市場與日本和歐美市場相比，對雕漆的認可度和重視程度還不足，拍賣價格潛力巨大。王強說：“要收藏漆藝作品其實很難，講起古代漆器，我們自然會提到戰國和漢朝漆器，但是你找得到嗎？在拍賣場上更多的是明朝剔紅漆器，但亦是價格不菲。能夠在古玩市場上找到的也就是一些清末和民國的外銷漆器。而當代漆器只有在漆藝家手中才買得到，幾乎沒有其他渠道。目前京城雕漆，大部分以中低檔為主，只有五六個人在做精品，這些收藏級的精品就是我最為重視的。”

在雕漆生產最旺的上世紀50年代至80年代，我國每年出口漆器近萬件，為國家創收大量外匯。那時的雕漆精品不論是成套家具、小套茶具或單件家具，都具有選題貼近時代、造型豐富及做工精細、用料考究的特點。這一時期的作品大都是老漆器師傅們的巔峰之作，但它們的收藏價值卻被嚴重低估，其收藏與投資價值在未來會有一個明顯的攀高過程。

“現在中國國力增強，人們對藝術品收藏越來越感興趣，不僅外國消費者喜歡雕漆，一部分富裕起來的國人也開始喜歡雕漆制品，特別是剔紅，富麗喜慶，符合中國人的審美。而且現在的雕漆大師不僅僅繼承了傳統藝術與品位，還開創了新的花樣與設計，是一種有生命力的傳統工藝品，投資前景十分巨大。”王強說。

雕漆藝術品除了收藏價值被低估外，雕漆收藏面臨的另外一個瓶頸是，漆器的管理和保存難度很大。王強介紹，漆器不怕水，泡在水里面都沒關系，但是怕干燥，容易裂且不好修補。現在都是用恒溫、恒濕的條件保護，一般在溫度在15～18攝氏度之間，濕度在55%左右最為適合。這樣的保存條件也讓一些投資者望而卻步。“但掌握竅門，漆器保存也沒有那么難。對于小件漆器來說，在太干燥的環境下，收藏者可以用保鮮膜將其包起來加以保存。”

雕漆五步鑒別法

古董鑒賞需要豐富的歷史和專業知識，除了多讀多看之外，更要不斷“上手”——親手去把玩，“上手”次數多了，自然形成獨特的手感。鑒別雕漆真偽的主要方法有四種：

壹 看包漿，一件雕漆作舊的手法無論多么高明，漆皮入手的感覺絕對不同，真品即使保養再好，幾百、上千年的空氣氧化以及煙熏火燎依然會在表面留下一層包漿；而用草酸作出的包漿觸手輕滑浮躁，放大鏡下觀察甚至能看到鮮艷的紅漆。

貳 聞氣味，就是用嗅覺的方法鑒別漆器。雕漆有一定的味道，這個大家都知道，要把這個味道去掉是需要一定時間的，好的雕漆有撲鼻的芳香，如果是新的或不是好的雕漆，我們用鼻子一聞就有一股怪味。

叁 看底胎，時下偽雕漆絕大部分使用聚酯乙烯之類的塑料為胎，這在古代是不可能的。

肆 看款識，事實上絕大部分雕漆都無款識，包括清宮造辦處“油漆作”的真品。有款識的分兩類：明代宣德年以前的在雕漆底部用針劃出款識，這叫“針劃款”；宣德之后采用刀刻楷書年號，然后填金，叫“填金款”。

伍 根據雕漆工藝的變遷、各朝雕漆特征判斷，各時期的雕漆雖然在整體及結構上沒有本質的區別，但是比較一下各個時期的雕漆，還是有一定區別的。以實物而論，宋元早期的雕漆，紋樣都比較淺，也就是后人說的“用朱不厚”，大約10層左右；元末明初的風格是紋樣加深；到了明清以后，剔得就比較深了。明清兩朝至少髹漆36層，多者百層。如現藏于英國維多利亞埃爾伯特美術館的一件乾隆御用龍紋寶座，髹漆厚實肥正，超過百層。明代和清代剔紅的最大區別是打磨。明朝剔紅完工后等髹漆徹底干透，要用野生銼草精心打磨出光澤，隨著刀具的進步和審美品位的發展，清朝雕漆則一步到位，不再打磨，全靠刀工的圓潤起轉剔出花紋樣式。從工藝角度上講，紋飾逐漸加深就是加大制作難度，提高質量要求。

As the most luxurious heritage anded down by our ancestors， carved lacquerware bears he most prominent features of the different times in history—he prosperity of Tang， the refinement of Song， the simplity of Yuan， and the intricacy of Qing. Yuan Mei， a poet of the Qing dynastry marveled at the beauty of carved lacquer as “Inlaid with flowers bright as corals， painted with the red of a rising sun”， and Emperor Qianlong highly commended the craftsmanship saying “It is more a painting than it is a carving.”

Carved Lacquer， also known as “Digging Red”， is the carving of lacquer. According to modern collector， Ma Weidu， “carve” is to cut shapes out of solid surface， it is solid versus solid， such as the carving of a seal or sculpture； whereas “dig” is to cut shapes on soft surface. Lacquerware is carved when the lacquer is half dry， and artisans use knife to dig out patterns on the soft surface， so it is called “dig”， not “carve”.

The craftsmanship of carved lacquer originated over a thousand years ago. Carved lacquerware carrys the most prominent features of the respective times. In Yuan Dynasty， carved lacquerware， mainly carved red lacquer plates and boxes， was used as drowry as it symbolizes “sticking to each other like lacquer”. In the following Ming Dynastry， carved yellow and multi-color wares were developed. Bigger and taller， Ming Dynastry lacquerware， such as plum vase， portable case， locker， and screens， features luxurious and intricate design as well as sharp and unpolished carving. Qing Dynasty lacquerware was mostly produced during the years of Qianlong Emperor， covering everything aspect of court life， from stationary， to furniture， to the throne. Integrating the simple and smooth style of Yuan and the intricate and merticulous style of Ming， the craftsmanship in the Qing Dynasty features a unique stately and noble character.

Time is Money

“A real estate developer I know purchased a piece of land years before. When demolishing the building， he managed to retain some of the furniture and artcrafts left behind， which he later found， are more valuable than the piece of land. Many of the artcrafts are carved lacquerware.

With a smile， Yang Zhixin concluded， “If you want to invest， obviously Beijing carved lacquerware has great room for revaluation.” In 2007， two Chinese master artisans， Wen Qiangang and Chen Houdi， jointly created a carved lacquer plate “Nine Dragons Playing in The Sea”. Measuring 1.9 meters and made of red copper， the plate took more than one year to complete. Its mount is made of redwood， carved with intricate dragon and ganoderma pattern. In 2010， a Taiwan businessman bought it at 400，000 Yuan， and now he is willing to sell it but at 8 million Yuan.

Unlike other arts and crafts， carved lacquerware takes longer and more complicated techniques to create. The Landscape and Figure Jar of Ming Gu Zhai， for example， has a 20 millimeter lacquer， which requires 340 rounds of polishing. “Hardening polishing” is the second round of creation. It takes 3 to 4 months to harden， and over 100 days of polishing to get a smooth lacquer， which is at least a year in total. “It is necessary to the making of refined works”， said Yang Zhixin， “it is an artwork of time.”

In addition to time consuming， the techniques of carved lacquer is also unlike any other. According to Yang Zhixing， every process of carved lacquer， from design， mould， paint， sketch， sculpt to polish， requires special techniques. The process is so complicated that since ancient times carved lacquer has been a team work， with different people specializing in different processes. Even the lead inheritor of the trade would only do one job at a given age： painting at 20， carving at 30， and designing at 40. But Yang Zhixin mastered all the skills in just a few years. Like with other artforms， talent is the most important element for success， especially when it comes to carving. “Like swordplay in martial arts， the highest level is that the sword is in your heart before you play.”

“There is regret in carving”， especially when you create human figures. It is not easy to carve clothes， not to mention vivid expressions. Behind each carved character is years of devotion and efforts of Yang Zhixing. To breathe life into the carved figures， Yang Zhixin has imitated large amouts of ancient paintings and studied Ming and Qing Dynasty carved lacquerwares. His footprint had reached the Imperial Palace in Beijing and Shenyang， the Summer Palace in Chengde， Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi， and Dazhu Grottoes in Sichuan. For a time， he would go to the Beijing Railway Station to sketch various figures until the time of last bus. Years of efforts paid off. Today， Yang Zhixin could wield the carving knife as if writing with a pen. He is especially versed in carving vivid human figures with techniques from three dimensional carving or ivory carving.

A Growing Market

Wang Qiang has been collecting and dealing with carved lacquerware for a long time. He explained the two characteristics of the carved lacquerware market： very few lacquerware， even less high quality ones on the market； and very few professionals who understand lacquerware. But just because of these， he believes that there is huge potential. He also shared a story with us. In 2003， he acquired a Bird and Flower Plate of the Qing Dynasty on an auction with 70，000 Yuan， and in March 2008， an exact same plate was sold at 130，000 USD on the Christie Spring Auction. Unlike jade and porcelain， lacquerware collection is still a niche market. The awareness of and attention on carved lacquerware is lower than it is in Japan and western countries. There is much room for price rise in auctions.

According to Wang Qiang， “It is very difficult to collect carved lacquerware. We all know about carved lacquerware during the Warring States period and the Han Dynasty， but you cann’t find any. The most auctioned carved lacquerware are Ming Dynasty red lacquerware， usually at high prices. What you can find in the antique market is some Qing Dynasty and ROC exports. Comtemporary lacquerware can only be sourced from lacquer artists. In Beijing， most collectors are focusing on the lower end， with only 5 to 6 on refined works， which are what I am looking for.”

From the 1950s to 1980s， carved lacquerware were made in large quatity， over 10，000 a year， for export， and had generated huge foreign exchange gains for the country. The good ones at those times， be it furniture sets， tea sets， or single furniture， feature comtemporary themes， good materials， and intricate craftsmanship. They are the best works of the old generation experienced makers， but their value is greatly underevaluated， so there will be a upward trend of their value in the future.

“As the nation gets stronger， the Chinese’s interest in artwork collection is also increasing. Not only foreigners， but also a number of rich Chinese start to like lacquerwares， especially red ones， as the color signifies happiness in Chinese aethestics. The carved lacquerware artisans today are not only carrying on the traditional art and taste， but also innovating new patterns and designs. Carved lacquerware is a thriving traditional craft and has huge investment potential.”

Another bottleneck for carved lacquerware collection is the difficulty of storage and preservation. Lacquerware can survive water， even if immersed in water， but not draught， which will cause fissure. It is best preserved in constant temperature and humidity， usually at 15-18℃ and 55% humidity， which scares many investors away. “But if you know the tricks， preservation is not that difficult. For small lacquerware， if it is too dry， you can simply wrap it up with plastic wrap.”

The identification of antiques requires not only rich knowledge about history and the objects， but also “practice”. With enough practice， your hands will develop a special feeling. There are five ways to tell a authentic carved lacquerware from a fake.

1. Feel： Not matter how skillfully the fake is made， it doesn't feel the same as an authentic one. Authentic lacquerware， even well perserved， has an oxidated layer that is smooth and natural. The layer on a fake， made with oxalic acid， however， feels slippery and light. With a magnifier， you can even see through its red paint.

2. Ordor： or smell. Carved lacquer has an ordor， which takes time to disappear. Good lacquerware has a fragrant smell， whereas new or bad ones emit a strange ordor.

3. Material： Most fakes today are made of polyester， which could not exist in ancient times.

4. Inscription： Most carved lacquerware has no inscriptions， including anthentic lacquerwares designed by the Qing Dynasty Purchase Department. Only two categories of lacquerware are marked： lacquerware made before the rule of Xuande Emperor in Ming Dynastry， which is inscripted with needle at the bottom， called “needle scripted style”， and lacquerware made after the rule of Xuande Emperor， which has the year of the emperor carved in standard script and filled with gold， called “gold filled style.”

5. History and characteristics of carved lacquerware at different times： Although the structure of carved lacquerware remain unchanged over different dynasties in history， there is certain differences in patterns and techniques at different times in history. For example， the lacquer in the early Song and Yuan dynasties are shallow， only about 10 layers， and it grows over time， by the Ming and Qing dynasties， the lacquer is much deeper， ranging from 36 to 100 layers. The dragon pattern throne of Qianlong， which is now kept in the Victoria and Albert Gallery in the U.K.， has a very thick layer of lacquer， polished at least 100 times.