Study On The Lacquer Lian Toilet Boxes In Warring States, Qin And Han Dynasty

Lian toilet box is the apparatus of ancient to lay up toilet articles, which first appeared in the Chu State, developed in Qin Dynasty, and bloomed with decorated luxurious in Han Dynasty. This paper intends to make a comprehensive study and a preliminary discussion on lacquer lian toilet boxes in Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, accompanied with their patterns, decorative techniques, shape evolutions, and other related issues.In addition to the introduction, the paper is divided into eight chapters.In the introduction section, the brief history of lacquer in Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, together with early literature records and the main types of lacquer, is introduced firstly. Second, the "lacquer lian toilet box" concept referred in this article, lian toilet box related literature records and archaeological findings are defined, followed with the description about the selection purpose of the article topic and research methods. Subsequently, the calendar, development and prosperity of lian toilet boxes in Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty is pointed out. There were tremendous changes in their development, both in shape and in decoration. Therefore, the comprehensive study on lian toilet box had a academically necessary and theoretical research value.The first chapter analyzes the fetus and internal materials of lacquer lian toilet boxes in the Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty. Lacquer forming mainly depends on body samples, and lacquer decoration relies on bones of body sample or lacquer fetus. As small daily appliances, the fetus of lacquer lian toilet box should be light, and mainly include wooden body, cloth-born-out body, and a small amount of compound fetus. This paper focuses on the naming of cloth-born-out body and its emergence age, which is appropriate to create complex shapes and irregular objects for its light, strong and stable. In excavated lacquer lian toilet boxes, the main deposited objects are facial cosmetics, dressing tools, hair accessories and other items. Dressing appliances directly affected the shape of sub-lian toilet box of the Han Dynasty multi-lian toilet box. The author refines facial cosmetics to the basic skin-care products, powder makeup, lipstick, rouge, eyebrow jewelry and other aspects. Dressing tools are divided into bronze mirror, comb, comb, copper brush, tweezers, scrapers, eyebrow pencil and Dai panels. Finally the common hair accessories, such as hairpiece, Chinese red pepper, hairpins and other fixed beam hair tools are introduced.In Chapterâ…¡, the pattern type and the pattern composition of lacquer lian toilet boxes is analyzed. Pattern is an important element in the decorative arts, which is the graph structure according to certain patterns, through realism, abstract and other methods to gradually shape. The decorative patterns in Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty are complex in type, amount and pattern design. Decorative techniques of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Warring States mainly are two kind performances, realism and exaggerated distortion. Lacquer lian toilet boxes in Han Dynasty have also used the cone painting and attached gold foil sheets to decorate patterns in addition. Patterns are divided into animal patterns, plant patterns, patterns of natural scenes, geometric patterns, patterns of social life and mythology. For patterns are always combined together in a serial manner, this combination is called the composition manner of patterns. Fitting pattern, independent pattern and continuous pattern are the three most basic pattern composition manners of lacquer lian toilet boxes. Fitting pattern is the pattern designed based on the shape and physiognomy of lacquer lian toilet boxes. Independent pattern is the individual unit or several separate units of decorative patterns in the center or a surface of lacquer. When the independent pattern is made up of several sub-modules, its basic form includes symmetry, rotation, balance, and other types of radiation. Continuous patterns are usually decorated around the main pattern of lacquer lian toilet boxes to increase its sense of vision contrast and beauty utensils. One of the majority of continuous patterns is consecutive binary squares, most of which are horizontal links from the left to the right. The successive eye-catching of continuous patterns on the cover and the wall of lacquer lian toilet boxes comes with the color line and the ribbon. They can be attributed to the unification of the fragmented and varied ornamentations.Chapterâ…¢discusses decorative crafts of lacquer lian toilet boxes. In Warring States, Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, lacquer lian toilet boxes were decorated almost in dark primer paint, such as black or brown in color. The rich variety of patterns was performed by colored drawing, cone painting, metal inlay, gold and silver foil sticker attachment and other decorations. From the perspective of decorative arts, focuses of lacquer lian toilet box decorative forms in different periods, have more distinctive flavors of the times and strong national characteristics, reflecting changes in technology. On the whole, colored drawing is the most basic decorative techniques. The lacquer lian toilet boxes excavated in Chu States were often painted with a variety of color paint solutions or greasepaints. Colored drawings are divided into line drawing, flat painted, paint and rendering stack, the most common of which are line drawing and flat coated. Cone painting is decoratively carved through the needle or cone drawing pen. Cone painting passed the threshold during the Warring States period, and populated in the middle of Western Han Dynasty. After the middle of Western Han Dynasty, Cone painting on lacquer lian toilet boxes gradually gave way to the emerging embedded metal buckle, laced gold and silver foil pieces, mounted gems and other technologies which are more decorative.In chapter IV, the paper analyzes the background of lacquer lian toilet boxes' emergent in the Warring States period, the source of literatures about lacquer lian toilet boxes, the types and shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes, and characteristics especial in Chu State. It is first that lacquer lian toilet boxes, as small appliances, came into being in Chu State after the late Warring States. Before Ying capital of Chu State captured by Qin State, the unearthed lacquer lian toilet boxes in Jianghan Plain are in typical Chu-style. After Qin State taking Chu Ying capital, data about Chu-style lacquer lian toilet boxes came forth from the Chu Tomb in Hunan, Anhui and surrounding areas Chu State and Chu-Shu immigration burial. For lacquer lian toilet boxes appeared at later of the Warring States period, there are no much lacquer lian toilet boxes unearthed from Chu Tombs actually. From lacquer lian toilet boxes' appearance to Chu State demise, which lasted over a hundred years, the types and shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes were not changed greatly. Some changes during this period mainly reflected in body size, patterns, fetus, etc. However, red hue, advocating phoenix and witchcraft as the three typical characteristics of Chu style, produced a profound impaction Han Dynasty lacquer lian toilet boxes.Chapter V makes an exploration on the archaeological discoveries of Qin Dynasty lacquer lian toilet boxes, the shape and characteristics of them, new arisen features of them and more lacquer-related issues. Lacquer lian toilet boxes have become a an important species daily lacquer in Qin Dynasty tomb in Jianghan Plain, after Qin State taking Ying captal of Chu State. The shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes excavated from Qin tomb have two types that are round and oval, and the oval shape ones is an emerging shape. Lacquer lian toilet boxes's fetuses in this period are all wooden body, but non cloth-born-out one. More than half of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Qin Dynasty are plain Xiu without painted decoration, on which, imprinted inscription became an important feature of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Qin Dynasty, and that reflecting the "objects imprinted workers name" system of the Qin handicraft production. Lacquer lian toilet boxes in Qin Dynasty inherited the flat round shape style of that of Chu State. In addition to realistic patterns of phoenix birds, the more variety of deformation bird, in particular, the pattern of bird's head, cloud bird, "B"-shaped patterns were present in lacquer lian toilet boxes in Qin Dynasty. Qin state not only owned more lacquer oak resources, but also got a lot of paint technologists after it occupied Chu State. Qin moved many lacquer craft technologists to Xianyang, and then Xianyang has become a new center of the lacquer craft. During the reign of Qin, some of the shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Chu culture disappeared, and practical lacquer increased as a counterpart. Some experience of Qin Dynasty in production management, such as "objects imprinted workers name" system, establishment of municipal management for industrial and commercial kiosks and so on was inherited and developed in Han Dynasty. High level and quick development of lacquer in Han Dynasty in Sichuan area was inseparable from the management of Qin Dynasty in this area. It is Qin's early development in Sichuan that made Shu-Han official lacquer work became the representative one of that period.In chapterâ…¥, the evolution of the shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Han Dynasty and related issues were discussed. Most provinces of China have unearthed lacquer lian toilet boxes of Han Dynasty. There were dramatic changes at the shapes and paint decoration technology of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Han Dynasty than that of the Warring States Period, and that of Qin Dynasty. Shapes of lacquer lian toilet boxes in Han Dynasty include round, square (including rectangular, square), and oval-shaped three categories. The ones of square and oval-shaped were often to hold non-dressing equipments, while the round ones to hold dressing appliances. The lacquer lian toilet boxes of Han Dynasty got the emergence of a double layer box, in addition to flat short single one, and the population of multi-layer one. Through round type, multi-sub-box's shape, inlaid metal buttons, decorated gold foil pieces, the covered top inlaid fine silver pieces, and the clouds pattern decorated with animal patterns together to build a fairy world as the most characteristics lacquer lian toilet boxes in Han Dynasty. In Han Dynasty, Shu County and Guang County played an important role in the lacquerware industry in the country. The author believes that, lacquer handicraft in Sichuan in Han Dynasty was influenced by Chu culture and developed by basing on it. That Qin government drove people to Sichuan and constructed the Chengdu City, contributed to the development of Sichuan. Sichuan has become an important industry in the Chinese region of the Han Dynasty. Gold, silver and copper were mainly produced in Sichuan, which have led to the Han Dynasty national lacquerware industry shifted to the Sichuan region later, and promoted a combination of lacquer and metal manufacturing, resulting in a rare "Shu-Han buckle device." Guangling have created a well-developed culture and magnificent paint in the four hundred years of the whole Han Dynasty. From the late Warring States period to the early Western Han Dynasty, the lacquer lacquer features mainly continued Chu style. After the late Western Han Dynasty, the lacquerware industry in Guangling was well developed, and the common varieties of lacquer-based were household devices. The major luxury lacquer lian toilet boxes of the late Western Han Dynasty were unearthed in Guangling region, which representing the highest level of the late Western Han.Chapterâ…¦, author further analyzes the grand funeral and the immortal ideas in Han Dynasty. After the mid-Western Han Dynasty, burying lacquer lian toilet boxes decorated with inlay silver buckle and gold foil stickers, which were extremely expensive and luxury at that time, reflects the grand funeral and luxury life style by the strong support of the Han dynasty's strong development. Culture of an era is the soil of artifacts of that era to develop on, and artifacts of that era also reflect the culture of that era to look for. The immortality thought in the Han Dynasty has a very distinct brand of the times on the lacquer lian toilet boxes. Han's fairy world mainly were made up by clouds, mountain, immortal, and other major elements of good fortune. Han' multi-sub-box ignited people's desire for more children and more descendants.Chapterâ…§, as complementary discussion, outlines the development of lian toilet boxes after Han Dynasty. In Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Sui Dynasty and Tang dynasty, from the view of archaeological material and data, there were only a small quantity of lacquer lian toilet boxes, which continued the traditional style in Han Dynasty evolving with more mature craft technology. The type of multi-sub-box populated in Han Dynasty turned into a set of layer type in Five Dynasties, Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. The design of lian toilet boxes in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty evolved to two directions:one inherited the characteristics of small, portable paint lianes since the Warring States; the other has evolved into unmovable furniture.