DOI Artikel:
Lorden, L. W. C.: Chinese hard stone cutting
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43452#0064
Chinese Hard Stone Cutting
THE CHINESE CUTTER WITH THE TOOLS REQUIRED FOR
INTRICATE CARVING OF THE STONE
a piece in the form of a big rough block. In
colour it somewhat resembles white mutton fat
and is known as white jade. In breaking it up the
workman eagerly looks to see if he can find a vein
of green or yellow, and let us take it that he has
found a layer of both occurring near each other.
He now proceeds to cut away the white, but not
all, for he intends to make use of the white and
turn out a three-colour piece which will be greatly
prized. After having carefully examined the piece
he determines that the design shall consist of a
white rock and climbing over it shall be a green
dragon, while at the bottom of the rock shall stand
a yellow lion. With a brush the design is sketched
out on the stone and then the cutting away of the
superfluous part begins. In the first text illustra-
tion showing the cutter at work, the craftsman
will be seen holding the jade against a thin iron
wheel with his left hand, while in his right he
holds some wet sand which he now and then
allows to touch the wheel so as to supply the quartz
for cutting the jade. The wheel does not continue
to revolve in one direction, for on looking at the
second illustration it will be seen that the power is
supplied from the feet to a cord looped round the
axle, and the wheel is made to revolve for a few
seconds to the right and then as the other foot
comes into play its action is reversed.
When the rough cutting away has been done the
large wheel is removed and smaller wheels in turn
take its place, and then the different tools as shown
in the third illustration are used as required. The
tubes on the man’s right are used for carving the
rounded portions and are also used for making
52
beads, but the most useful is the
pencil-shaped tool shown against the
right breast; it is with this that the
principal carving is done, for it en-
ables the sand to be ground into all
sorts of hollows and corners.
When fine holes are required to
be bored he will employ a tool
shown in the next illustration. This
is a drill made of iron, into the point
of which has been set a small piece
of diamond or sapphire and by
means of the stick and string it is
made to rotate violently.
The last illustration shows the
polishing process. This is first done
by means of a large wheel made
from a preparation of fine sand and
THE MORE .
sealing-wax, then smaller wheels and
pencil-shaped pieces of the same
material are used to get into all the small hollows,
and lastly a pointed piece of bamboo with leather
over it is worked all over the carving to give it a
final polish.
Although one cannot expect to do full justice to
gems and stones in any reproduction, everything
that is possible has been done in the accom-
panying plate to give the reader some idea of the
kind of work turned out by the Chinese cutter.
THE CUTTER USING A DRILL ROTATED BY STICK
AND STRING FOR BORING FINE HOLES
THE CHINESE CUTTER WITH THE TOOLS REQUIRED FOR
INTRICATE CARVING OF THE STONE
a piece in the form of a big rough block. In
colour it somewhat resembles white mutton fat
and is known as white jade. In breaking it up the
workman eagerly looks to see if he can find a vein
of green or yellow, and let us take it that he has
found a layer of both occurring near each other.
He now proceeds to cut away the white, but not
all, for he intends to make use of the white and
turn out a three-colour piece which will be greatly
prized. After having carefully examined the piece
he determines that the design shall consist of a
white rock and climbing over it shall be a green
dragon, while at the bottom of the rock shall stand
a yellow lion. With a brush the design is sketched
out on the stone and then the cutting away of the
superfluous part begins. In the first text illustra-
tion showing the cutter at work, the craftsman
will be seen holding the jade against a thin iron
wheel with his left hand, while in his right he
holds some wet sand which he now and then
allows to touch the wheel so as to supply the quartz
for cutting the jade. The wheel does not continue
to revolve in one direction, for on looking at the
second illustration it will be seen that the power is
supplied from the feet to a cord looped round the
axle, and the wheel is made to revolve for a few
seconds to the right and then as the other foot
comes into play its action is reversed.
When the rough cutting away has been done the
large wheel is removed and smaller wheels in turn
take its place, and then the different tools as shown
in the third illustration are used as required. The
tubes on the man’s right are used for carving the
rounded portions and are also used for making
52
beads, but the most useful is the
pencil-shaped tool shown against the
right breast; it is with this that the
principal carving is done, for it en-
ables the sand to be ground into all
sorts of hollows and corners.
When fine holes are required to
be bored he will employ a tool
shown in the next illustration. This
is a drill made of iron, into the point
of which has been set a small piece
of diamond or sapphire and by
means of the stick and string it is
made to rotate violently.
The last illustration shows the
polishing process. This is first done
by means of a large wheel made
from a preparation of fine sand and
THE MORE .
sealing-wax, then smaller wheels and
pencil-shaped pieces of the same
material are used to get into all the small hollows,
and lastly a pointed piece of bamboo with leather
over it is worked all over the carving to give it a
final polish.
Although one cannot expect to do full justice to
gems and stones in any reproduction, everything
that is possible has been done in the accom-
panying plate to give the reader some idea of the
kind of work turned out by the Chinese cutter.
THE CUTTER USING A DRILL ROTATED BY STICK
AND STRING FOR BORING FINE HOLES