brief introduction
Lu Zigang, a jade craftsman from Amin, China, was born in Taicang, Jiangsu. Good at jade carving, good at vertical carving, lettering, lettering, gem setting and grinding inscriptions.
[Edit this paragraph] function
Jade carvings are mostly daily utensils, such as pots, cups, water injection, pen washing, incense burners and so on. People, flowers, birds, animals, geometric patterns, poems and inscriptions can be engraved on the carved objects, and the words "Zi Gang", "Zi Gang" and "Zi Gang Zhi" can be engraved in the secluded places of the carved objects, which is very popular among people from all walks of life and enjoys a great reputation.
[Edit this paragraph] Impact
History calls "Lu Zigang's treatment of jade" "Wuzhong stunt". His stunning Tea Crystal Plum Cuttings are now in the Palace Museum in Beijing. In the widely circulated white jade brand, people can find simple inscriptions "Zigang" or "Zigang" everywhere. Most of these square or rectangular jade cards are engraved or embossed with dragon patterns on the upper side, while landscape figures are lightly engraved, while ancient poems engraved with lines and regular script are engraved with "Zigang" or "Zigang" on the lower side. Even in the resplendent Palace Museum in Beijing, there are several Zigong-style jade articles. As for public and private collectors all over the world, there is no shortage of such collections. Ancient jade articles are rarely engraved with words (the Mohs hardness of jade reaches 7 degrees, making it difficult to express meaning with a pen), and those with names are unique, which shows that they are extraordinary. Zi Gang (Zi Gang), surnamed Lu, was a master of Suzhou jade carving in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, who lived in Jiajing and Wanli years.
[Edit this paragraph] record
Lu Zigang's Ruling Jade was once called the first of "Wu Zhong (Suzhou) stunts" ("Tao An Meng Yi") by Zhang Dai, a famous writer at that time, and it was almost a conclusion in the literati circle at that time. Lu Zigang is only a craftsman, so his life story is rarely recorded in detail. According to the records of Taicang Prefecture at that time, Lu Zigang was a native of Taicang (Zigang may be his pseudonym), and he mainly cut jade articles in Zhuxiang, Suzhou (a gathering place for all kinds of craftsmen) all his life. What makes him different is that jade articles have been carved by removing jade sand and grinding since ancient times because of their hard texture, and only he created the carving method of "Kunwu Knife", which is why he can write poems and inscriptions smoothly and freely.
[Edit this paragraph] Jade production.
The jade articles made by Lu Zigang are mainly small objects, especially for study. There are antique patterns such as cloud thunder, dragon pattern and dragon pattern, as well as more realistic patterns such as flowers, landscapes and figures, which are extremely elegant and vivid. At that time, Chen Jiru, a hermit in Huating, liked to make friends. He mentioned in the Nigu Record that he had seen several kinds of jade articles cut by Liu Zigang, such as white jade inlaid with turquoise pieces to ward off evil spirits, antique bronze statue of Cheng in the water with brocade patterns on the animal face, white jade printed pool () and white jade with thirteen serial handles, all for research. He is best at carving daffodil-patterned Hosta. According to Suzhou official records, he "made a daffodil hairpin, exquisite and ingenious, with a flower stem as thin as a hair." At that time, Xu Wei, a famous painter, wrote a seven-character poem "Singing Narcissus": "There is Chen Miaochang who is slightly affectionate and has no fireworks. Kunwu seems to have solved all the difficulties. He is worried about killing Suzhou Luzigang. " It means that you, Liu Zigang, can't compete with the real "Ling Boxian" even if you play the jade carved by daffodils. This paper describes Lu Zigang's famous stunt among the government and the people from the side. At that time, a Hosta he made was worth 50 or 60 taels of silver, which was several times higher than the general market price. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was an upsurge of "playing time" in the society. Many literati paid attention to collecting the works of famous artists in modern times and even at that time, which also promoted the improvement of craft production at that time. Many famous craftsmen have emerged in various arts and crafts fields, and people flock to them. Their works are signed by these famous artists, some of which are often expensive antique jewelry. After many craftsmen become famous, literati are also willing to associate with them and brag about them, thus becoming celebrities. Lu Zigang is an outstanding person who came into being with this "playing time fever". The jades he cut and solidified all have their own inscriptions, mostly "Zigang", a kind of seal script with strict font, to show that "this is the only one, there is no branch". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were no fewer than twenty or thirty famous jade carving craftsmen, and almost no one dared to follow suit.
[Edit this paragraph] spirit
Lu Zigang attaches great importance to his reputation and never makes it shoddy. It is said that he cut less than 100 pieces of jade (99 pieces) before his death, and the jade materials were pure and flawless, especially the white jade with suet. His works were not only searched and played by literati, but also collected by the court. For example, the Palace Museum in Beijing has a pair of Qing jade couplets in the Ming Dynasty, engraved with the word "Wanshou" in the official script. On both sides of the cup, there are poems written by Emperor Yang Wen in the official script, and on the other side, it is "wet and plain, with both engraving and cutting. Jade liquid and nectar make you happy. " At the end of the department "Zhu Yunming" three words; On the other side is "Jiuqi cigarettes, thousands of incense end in the sun." May you live forever and be drunk in the phoenix. "At the end of the department, the word" sub-outline system "was used. Very simple and elegant, when it is a jade play made by Lu Zigang for the emperor's wedding. Because of his great reputation, there are many rumors about him. According to folklore, the Ming emperor called him into the palace to serve. Once, the emperor deliberately wanted to embarrass Lu Zigang, took out a jade finger (the one on his thumb) for bowing and asked him to carve a hundred horses on it. A few days later, Lu Zigang handed in his paper. When the emperor saw it, there were only three good horses on the jade finger (three means many), high mountain, and open the city gate. One horse has reached the city gate and is running towards the city. Another horse is running towards the city gate, and the other horse has just exposed its head in the valley. This is a masterpiece of virtual realism, which makes the emperor very satisfied. Treacherous court official Yan Song admired a piece of jade and was rejected by Liu Zigang. He bears a grudge and slanders the emperor, saying that Yu Pei, carved by Liu Zigang, carved his name on the beads of Erlong Opera, which were higher than the dragon's head, which meant contempt for the emperor. As a result, Liu Zigang was harmed. Yun Yun.
[Edit this paragraph] Other
After Lu Zigang's death, there were more and more fake jade articles, some of which were even engraved on jade articles in the early Ming Dynasty. As for the Zigang jade handed down from generation to generation, the imitation in Qing Dynasty is the most common, especially the white jade brand is mostly a fake in Kangxi period or later.