Landscape pendants have been a popular subject for jade carvings since ancient times. Why is this?

The depiction of nature has a long history in the field of painting. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was gradually separated from figure painting and developed into a system. Later, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern times, it gradually entered the realm of freehand brushwork, emphasizing the expression of artistic conception and the explanation of meaning.

Landscape has always been the favorite of Chinese literati. No matter whether it is poetry, songs, calligraphy or painting, all the themes are derived from landscape and cannot be separated from it. The carving of landscape system pays more attention to using the beautiful colors of jade in a small area to depict rich connotations. This is the landscape card we are familiar with.

Why are landscape cards so popular among the public? It mainly starts from three aspects: materials, carving and freehand brushwork.

(1) Materials used for landscape cards

Only jadeite raw stones that are clean, have a clear base, uniform color and good water quality can be carved into good landscape plaques. The size of landscape plaques has certain regulatory requirements. If the material is too small, it can only be used to carve figures, flowers and birds, lacking the grandeur and artistic conception of the landscape plaques.

Therefore, the materials used in jade landscape pendants are mostly old and durable, and through relief and hollowing, they present a different three-dimensional visual effect from landscape paintings. Many landscape carvings also have poems added on the back, which is also an extension of landscape plaques. When the carving is a landscape plaque with figures, the choice of materials becomes even more picky, especially the position of the carved face, which requires cleanliness and purity, especially for Buddha statues.

"Measure the material and select it, and apply art according to the material", jade carving masters use the color differences of jade materials themselves to vividly show the beauty of mountains and rivers, emphasizing the unity of form and spirit, and the combination of virtual and real.

(2) Carving of landscape plaques

The carving master can cover up the original flaws of the jade, turning cracks into mountains and rivers, colors into jungles, and white cotton into clouds. It can be said to be flawless and a work of art that surpasses nature.

(3) The artistic conception of landscape cards

The artistic conception of landscape cards: As literati and scholars, it is normal to express feelings in landscapes. Jade landscape cards combine poetry, calligraphy and painting, and are either fresh and elegant, or majestic, or have a leisurely artistic conception.

This leisurely artistic conception is more profoundly expressed on snowflake cotton, such as the landscape card in the picture below. The texture and carving are very exquisite, with snowflakes falling, giving a "snow flying all over the sky" artistic conception.

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