Vintage Chinese Sculpture - 11 1/2 x 9 outlet cork under glass - oriental miniature - hand carved art - asian pagoda - bird cranes art

This is a quite large carving under glass. I can't even imagine the immense amount of time it takes to make on of these.
The art started back about a hundred years ago when the Chinese wood carving artist Wu Qiqi from Xiyuan village in Fuzhou was inspired by a picture that travellers brought back from Germany in 1914. It was said to be a kind of “picture in wood” that inspired the local artist to use their own material to apply their traditional carving skills.

They used a sharp knife as a pen, engraved and carved flowers, trees, pavilions, trestle bridges and boats. Then they made birds and animals such as cranes and peacocks with the rice paper plant. In accordance with the idea, they stuck all the elements together with white glue, forming a unique style of art today known as the Chinese cork carving tradition.
Elements of humanity, such as a house, a boat, or a bridge are peppered throughout the landscape. Thus earth, heaven and mankind are brought together in a single “path”, or “way”. The delicate art of cork carving epitomizes Taoist thought by utilizing the natural coarseness of cork to represent jagged mountain scenes. Yet the same material is used to create the smooth finely carved outlet elements of buildings and trees.



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