Beijing tooth carving

Beijing's tooth carvings are mostly small objects, usually stationery ornaments and other literary plays. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were also large pieces, mostly three-dimensional round carvings, with fine knife work, rounded knife method and vivid shape. Beijing tooth carving is mainly for bureaucrats, pursuing exquisiteness and magnificence in style, which may be influenced by the court. Many tooth carvings in the Qing palace can't be carved at will according to the craftsman's own characteristics and style, but should conform to the preferences of the royal family. The sample manuscript produced by the dentist can only be carved after the emperor personally examines it, and it shall not be modified without authorization. In the process of carving, dentists are careful, on the one hand, give full play to their own specialties and strive for the best results. On the other hand, according to the emperor's will, we should collect the strengths of various factions to meet the emperor's taste. The overall style of the court tooth carving is "elegant, beautiful, refined and skillful", which requires simplicity and elegance in modeling and precision, moistening and polishing in technology. The palace tooth carving reached its creative peak in Qianlong period. Especially in the late Qing Dynasty, the court tooth carving gradually declined. The production is very complicated, the style is trivial, and it is not artistic conception. It is only technically better than the previous generation. After Daoguang and Xianfeng, due to the decline of the national situation, the court tooth carving was never recovered and gradually disappeared.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)