The beauty of carved wood #
In China, the art of carving has a long and rich history, encompassing not just the expected materials such as wood, but also bone, horn and ivory, jade, lacquer, amber, stone and bricks, dried gourds and even various fruit seeds. Therefore, to say this is an extremely expansive topic, remains an understatement. Delving into any of these individual disciplines requires it’s own in-depth study. So with that said, lets narrow the discussion down to simply covering Chinese window screens and Chinese wood panels, while trying to to cover some of the more important elements.
A bit of history #
The story "behind the story" of Chinese window screens #
The evolution of carved Chinese window screens and carved door panels of the sort we will be discussing here, can be traced back almost 1800 years, with significant changes in their designs and structures occurring throughout each the different periods in Chinese history. In the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D) we know from miniature models found in tombs, that buildings had either square-shaped windows, round windows, diamond shaped windows or a combination of all of these shapes. We also know that window screens themselves were either simple vertical bars or other times more complex cross crossing lattice patterns (possibly the most popular style of this period). We even know from references in historical texts of the time (Han Wu dongmingji 漢武洞冥記) that silk cloth was likely used as curtains for these windows.
With the eventual emergence of stools and chairs, the population gradually transitioned from sitting on floor matts to sitting up higher and thus building designs changed to reflect this. Naturally, that includes the functions, proportions and designs of windows and doors and that includes Chinese window screens themselves. Smaller lower windows evolved from the mere practical function of letting in air, to larger windows that were serving to let in both light and air at different angles. As spaces became larger, door panels then served to partition off different areas.
Bamboo, linen and paper curtains also gradually came into existence. Windows also evolved from being fixed in place to being able to open and close. Throughout successive dynasties windows became more refined, more beautiful and more aesthetically pleasing.
In addition to funerary models of buildings, we also have access to historical records & treatise of building codes such as the Yíngzào fàshì (營造法式). There are also many ancient writings which describe the characters physical surroundings and of course numerous paintings and woodblock prints which depict Chinese window screens.
These wood block prints are taken from two classics of Chinese literature: Dream of the Red Chamber in 120 Chapters (18th century) (紅樓夢) & The Swallow’s Message (16th century) (懷遠堂批點燕子箋). We can clearly see many instances of door panels, window screens and railing screens in the home.
So we can see Classical Chinese window and door panels have a long and rich history going back at least 2000 and all the way up into today’s modern Asian-style decor.
With such a long carving history in China, sometimes cross-over in materials occurred, such was the case with Chinese lacquer carving, when at times the craftsmen had originally worked with bamboo and ivory before transitioning.
But uniquely, working in more then one material was rarely the case with wood carvers, who generally worked exclusively in wood and thus independent of other materials. Perhaps this was the result of the nature of architectural wood carvings being more closely related to the Chinese unique concept of carpentry in general. How so you might ask?
In ancient times, carpentry and woodworking in China was generally seen as falling into either of two categories:
- Major carpentry (大木作 Dàmù zuō)
- Minor Carpentry (小木作 Xiǎo mù zuō)
Laterally this translates as “big carpentry” and “small carpentry.” Major carpentry (big carpentry) dealt with the main wooden frames and other structures that support the roof itself. These would be primary load bearing elements like beams, columns and what not.
Minor carpentry (small carpentry) on the other hand encompassed woodworking like Chinese window screens, Chinese window frames and Chinese door panels, in addition to furniture (this is incidentally why Chinese furniture can sometimes be based on or borrow from architecture)
Chinese Window screens #
What are the Basic elements? #
So lets talk about the basic elements that make up a screen, including the specific kinds of “elements,” and later on, the most commonly found symbols used on such screens. Also be aware that although technically Chinese window screens are considered as architectural elements we will exclude using this term as Chinese architectural elements encompasses many other building elements aside from just Chinese window screens (items such as decorative and support carvings, signboards and stone supports).
Basic elements of Chinese Window Screens #
Screens of all kinds tend to consist mainly of at least one (or two) primary components. They are:
- Carvings
- Lattice work
More often than not, lattice work (for example when used in tall door panels), tends to be situated on the upper sections, whereas carvings themselves could occur anywhere on the panel (even within the lattice work itself). In the case of a window screen, lattice work may even make up the entire main body of the work with no lower apron section at all.
And of course, its possible for a screen to be purely lattice work, purely carving work, or a combination of both (although this alone can offer clues to its original use as lattice work more often than not alludes to “letting in light”).
Types of Chinese Wood Carvings #
There are actually quite a few different techniques employed for the various wood carvings found in Chinese window screens. However, in order to stay on topic without getting too distracted while still focusing specifically on architectural screen carvings, and we will skip over the other less used forms of carving and focus primarily on the two most common types seen. They are:
Relief Carving #
Relief carving techniques are the most commonly used and most foundational form of wood carving. We see this frequently on Antique Chinese carved wood panels. The process of relief carving starts first with leveling a piece of wood in order to create a flat surface in which to work with. Wielding a small axe, a mallet and various chisels, the craftsmen slowly carves, shapes, shaves and smooths away different areas of the main surface, until gradually an image is formed. In many cases, a template image may be employed and will be pasted onto the surface first, in order to give the carver some general guidelines to work with.
There are two main types of relief carving:
- High
- Low
However, as there is really no formal definition of when a carving is considered “high vs low,” the description can be at times quite subjective.
Openwork Carving #
Openwork carvings are actually just relief carvings taken to the next level, in which the background is simply removed entirely. However, it should be pointed out that the process is indeed slightly different in that the rough design is cut away with a saw first and then the details shaped with a knives and chisels. Therefore, in contrast to relief carving, this requires an additional tool (ie the saw) as the knife and chisel used in relief carving is not sufficient enough. Open work carvings can be either single sided or double sided.
There are a few other kinds of carvings as well, such as inlay carvings (Qiàn diāo 嵌雕), round carvings (Yuándiāo 圓雕) and line carvings (Xiàn diāo 线雕). Line carvings & inlay carvings are more frequently found on furniture and smaller objects and round carvings tend to either be used as standalone objects or as larger architectural elements. Since all of these are less commonly used on screens or panels we will skip over them here.
Types of Chinese Wood Lattice works #
There are actually quite a few different specific techniques used to create Chinese window screens, although for the purposes of talking specifically about architectural elements and screens, we will simplify and focus on the two most common types encountered:
Joined & Assembled #
This is a complicated and time consuming process which requires extremely advanced skills in planning and execution. Smaller wooden pieces are cut, shaped and joined (using mortise and tenon or other joinery techniques) in order to create and assemble a much larger integrated design. One can imagine the complexity involved, in that a single piece out of alignment can offset the entire composition.
There are actually multiple joining and assembling techniques (which don’t have easily translatable names) such as 攒斗cuán dòu, 插接 Chā jiē and 攒插 cuán chā. In this instance we are using 攒斗cuán dòu as a bit of a “catch all” although it does not 100% accurately describe the techniques being employed.
Openwork Carved #
“Openwork carved” is essentially no different from the openwork carving techniques we discussed above. In this context however, what makes it somewhat distinct is the fact that the “joined and assembled” lattice works are actually approximated. Rather they are instead carved from a single piece of wood and not actually “joined and assembled.” In the example above, the craftsmen has even notched the faux joints, s0 they cleverly appear as independently jointed. Only upon close inspection and/or inspecting the back of the panel is the ruse revealed.
Many of the screens displayed here as examples are from the ArchElements collection of classical Chinese window and door panels.
ArchElements collection can be found online at https://www.archelements.com/
Symbolism and meaning #
There are an almost infinite number of potential patterns one might come across, particularly when we factor in the concept of Chinese homophones in which words share the same pronunciations but have different meanings. And those patterns are deeply influenced by the depth of Chinese culture, history, art and philosophy. The purpose of this post is not to cover the meanings of each potential symbol as that would take up an entire book. This section will however, at least give you a glance at some of the main classifications one might come across, when collecting or looking at Chinese window screens.
Geometric Patterns #
All manner of patterns can exist, from complex repetitions built from repeating squares, triangles and stars, to even Chinese characters worked into the composition. This particular screen has a geometric "ya" (亞) character ground, with a longevity character cleverly worked into the center of the design
Flowers & Trees #
Chinese have always attached great significant to plants and flowers with sayings such as "may blooming flowers bring you prosperity (花開富貴 Huā kāi fùguì). Its no surprise that these are enduring images in Chinese symbolism, often drawing inspiration from ancient poetry. Flowers, trees, bamboo, plum blossoms and chrysanthemums are some of the more commonly found motifs.
Animals & Birds #
This could range from from dragons, phoenix or other mythical beasts to fish, dear, frogs or other more earthly creatures. Sometimes the 12 animals of the zodiac may be represented. On the example depicted here, we meet two mythical beasts (神兽) staring up at a highly stylized bat. This implies blessings and longevity (福和长寿). Towards the bottom, we reach the bottom, we see two opposing phoenixes, a combination that implies to be blessed with both longevity and prosperity.
IMMORTALS & HISTORICAL FIGURES #
Immortals and historical figures tend to be those figures widely known for many generations. They may be actual historical figures or they may be known personages from religious stories or other tales. These are usually featured in more prominent places on the screen or carving. The example here, we see a relief carvings of Lu Xing (祿星 ), who is one of the San Xing deities ( 三星) of Chinese mythology. Lu Xing represents "prosperity" in the triad and brings about influence, rank and wealth, As depicted here, we see him standing under highly stylized pine and willow trees, while presenting a pomegranate to a young boy. The pomegranate is seen as a symbol of fertility, abundance, and good luck in Chinese culture as pomegranates have numerous seeds (子) therefore they can be associated with fertility and the hope for many offspring as in "more seeds, more happiness" (多子多福).
Dramas, Literary Works or Folk Tales #
Some Chinese wood carvings depict specific scenes from well know literary works. Often these woodcarvings are based on prototype wood carvings used in woodblock prints associated with the novels. In this example we see a meeting of these 4 figures, which could very well be depicting a scene from the 12th century classical Chinese novel Shuǐhǔ zhuàn or "Water Margin" (水浒传), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Chinese narrative scenes are highly complex, at times localized and/or may contain elements from later revised or derivative versions of the earlier stories so identifying specific scenes can be extremely challenging.
Antique Motifs #
Collecting antiques has been an enduring tradition in China dating back well over 2000 years. When we see this symbolism it typically alludes to the owners sophistication and refined taste, as owning and appreciating antiques was traditionally associated with connoisseurs and the educated elite. The imagery could range from furniture and other wood objects to bamboo items, jade items, bronzewares and so on.
Other Motifs #
Other motifs may include Chinese characters, pictograms, landscape scenes or other combinations of images with specific meanings. In the example shown here we see a"bat pattern." The Chinese word for "bat" (蝙蝠 Biānfú) is made up of two characters, and the second character (蝠 Fú) has the same pronunciation as the word blessing (福 Fú), So in essence this homonym can imply "blessings falling from the sky." Peaches are generally seen as symbols of longevity, so when combined in sets of two, this can imply double blessings and long life.
Decoding the meaning #
Deciphering meaning from three dimensional symbolic puzzle #
So based on what we already learned, lets deconstruct the complex multilayered, 3 dimensional symbolism that is depicted on this large Chinese screen panel. Lets break it down piece by piece.
This is a single double-sided panel, which was once part of a set, which typically mean 4 or more panels (some sets can be a many as 12) used in the traditional Chinese home for internal separation. It combines fine openwork, relief & incised carving techniques on both sides.
The main top section (just after the small inset panel of curly grass & chrysanthemums) contains an openwork and relief carving of a flower and vase resting on a stone table. Behind the vase is a diagonal “scrolled up” painting.
There are many Chinese sayings such as “may blooming flowers bring you prosperity (花開富貴 Huā kāi fùguì) ) and “tidings of auspiciousness and luck” (祥獻瑞 Chéng xiáng xiàn ruì) and thus the imagery of the vase with fresh cut flowers is an extremely enduring motif. In fact, this particular symbolism remained popular throughout many successive dynasties, going as far back as the Song dynasty (960–1279) and still persevering into present day. There is an additional meaning here, as the Chinese word for vase is Píng (瓶) is a homonym for (part of) the word for peace Píng (平). The flower in vase metaphor is repeated more than once in this screen.
This is then ringed by openwork carvings of plum and chrysanthemums, which once again, is multilayered in meaning. This can allude to “seasonal harmony” as chrysanthemums mark the transition from autumn to winter, and plum blossoms signify the end of the cold season and the arrival of spring. Or perhaps here they signify “two friends who stay constant despite hardship or troubles” ( 歲寒二友 Suì hán èr yǒu). Stylized “hui character” patterns (回字纹 Huí zì wén) implying far-reaching longevity, along with keyfret and scrolling grass patterns frame up the composition.
In the very center of the panel, is a smaller narrow inset rectangular shaped double sided relief carving, which shows the “antique motif.” This symbolism typically alludes to the owners sophistication and refined taste, as owning and appreciating antiques was traditionally associated with connoisseurs and the educated elite.
A flower and bird composition (花鸟纹 Huāniǎo wén or 梅花鸟画 Méihuā niǎo huà) is inset in the lower panel in relief carving. There is some variation in the meaning here depending on the specific bird used, but when paired with plum blossoms as seems to be the case here, generally this signifies the arrival of spring (although other more subtle meanings may also be implied).
On the other side, in the very same lower position, is the "bat pattern." The Chinese word for "bat" (蝙蝠 Biānfú) is made up of two characters, and the second character (蝠 Fú) has the same pronunciation as the word blessing (福 Fú), So in essence this homonym can imply "blessings falling from the sky" and/or "blessings arrive". Moreover, bats are not just regarded as a symbol of longevity in China but bats can also be associated with seeking good luck, avoiding evil, seeking wealth as well as bringing health. As bats mean blessings and peaches are generally seen as symbols of longevity, when combined in sets of two as we see here, this can imply double blessings and long life. Smaller bats can be found repeated elsewhere on this screen.
Many of the stunning, intricately carved windows and screens displayed in this post are from the ArchElements collection of classical Chinese window and door panels.
One Response
The Beauty of Carved Wood. Gotta love it. Really good information and expression in this blog.