The craft of filigree inlays in Chengdu mainly includes silver filigree. The silver enameling, gold-and-silver inlaid craftworks in
the city are very unique. Chengdu's filigree inlay craftworks mainly include vases, compotes, smoker's sets, jewels, etc.
"A Phoenix Spreads Its Wings" and "A Peacock in His Pride" -- two large wall hangings in the Sichuan Hall of the Great Hall of the People -- are filigree inlay masterworks by Sichuan artists.
Iron picture
Iron picture, also called "Wuhu Iron Picture," is a cross between painting and sculpture. It was first created by Tang Tianchi, a
blacksmith from Wuhu city of Anhui Provincein the mid-17th century. Using an anvil as his inkstone and the hammer as his brush, Tang forged, filed and shaped iron strips and wires into pictures by following the principles of composition ofChinese painting. The art developed by the smith-artist was handed down and cultivated for 300 years.The iron picture is usually painted black (with or without sheen) forming a clear contrast with the light-colored wall where it hangs. The landscapes, flowers and plants represented in iron appeal to viewers due to their simple yet bold three-dimensional effect rarely found elsewhere.
The craft combines the traditional techniques of Chinese painting andcalligraphy, sculpture andpaper-cutting. It incorporates iron as the "drawing brush" through smelting, forge drilling and filing, transforming iron into pictures of high artistic value. "Ironing a picture involves hot-etching a picture on a piece of wood using the changes and variations of dark and light to express the artist's thoughts. Making use of the wood grain is a signature technique characteristic of iron pictures that possesses a high aesthetic value.
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