Page 9 - Chinese Archaic Jades From The Yangdetang Collection PART II Christie's.pdf

techniques. Ancient China followed the adage of “the
son of a craftsman will always be a craftsman; the son of
a farmer will always be a farmer”. This resulted in the
transmission of the jade carving tradition being passed
on verbally through the generations, within the confines
of secluded workshops, and thus further amplify the
mysterious nature of the art.

The author has dedicated many years to the study of
archaic jades and their craftsmanship. On this occasion
with the presentation of Dr. Yang Chun-hsiung’s
Yangdetang Collection offered at Christie’s, there are
significant examples here that will illustrate the wide
fig. 1 line drawings of bronze low-table tuo range of classic jade carvings from the prehistoric period
圖一 跪坐几式砣機示圖
to the Han Dynasty. Drawing from examples of jades
in the Yangdetang collection, the author will briefly
describe the technology of early jade workmanship from
prehistoric China to the Han Dynasty.
期是治玉工序與工藝初創的時期，主要使用石質工具，
也利用砂繩等軟性工具。新石器時代晚期晚段可能在 1. The Five Phases of Development in the Art
某些地域文化中已出現了某種原始砣機，使用橫軸立 of Ancient Chinese Jade Carvings

砣旋轉，手給動力，多人分工合作共同操作。砣具可 Any mention of jade craftsmanship is incomplete
能以石、木、骨、陶等自然材料而非金屬材料製造而 without a discussion of the tools involved. The most
成。 important tool for the working of jade is the tuo wheel
(an emery wheel), which has undergone several changes
第二為銅砣几式砣機治玉時期，基本相當於夏商至春 during the various periods. In reference to Yang Boda’s
秋早中期。此時，砣機已明確出現，因當時人們為跪 view that the primary Chinese jade carving tool
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the tuo had undergone five phases of changes , here the
坐之姿，所以使用几式砣機，安裝青銅砣具，手給動
author had split the history of Chinese jade carving into
力，操作上漸趨成熟，因為有了青銅金屬工具的參與， five developmental periods.
治玉速度加快。（圖一）
The first phase is the primitive jade production era
第三為鐵砣几式砣機治玉時期，從春秋晚期至南北朝 which emerged and developed during the Neolithic
時期。因人們還是席地而坐，砣機依然為几式砣機， age. Hailing the beginning of jade craftsmanship, the
primary tools were made of stone including the use of
但因為冶鐵技術的提高，鐵質砣具開始使用。雖依然
soft tools such as the sand string. In the late Neolithic
是手動力，但因鐵質工具比青銅更硬和尖利，治玉速 period, some primitive form of the tuo might have been
度進一步提高。 developed in some regions. The tuo wheel would have
been arranged upright, manually spun on a horizontal
第四為鐵砣桌式砣機治玉時期，從隋唐——清—— axis and operated by multiple people simultaneously.
二十世紀六零年代初。此期傢俱抬高，砣機發展為高 The tuo could have been made with natural materials
such as stone, wood, bone, or stoneware pottery but
腿桌式，明清時又稱為水凳。利用腳踩動力，使用鐵
without the use of metals.
質砣具，一人操作，足踏旋轉，手腳協調使用，治玉

速度更快。 The second phase corresponds approximately to the
Xia and Shang dynasty and early-to-mid Spring-
第五為現代治玉時期，自 1960 年以後迄今，砣機機身 and-Autumn Period when bronze low table-top tuo

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