As many foreign students who learn to speak in China, the carved lacquer handicrafts are the most successful ones in all the lacquer ware in Yuan Dynasty during AD 1271 to AD 1378. The carved lacquer handicrafts are also called the carved marbled lacquer ware and Tixi in Chinese. They are decorated with embossed lacquer and they are the characteristics of this kind of handicraft. They are carved with delicate decorative patterns on the surface of the handicraft. The articles leave a feeling of simplicity. The delicate details of the decorative pattern add a special charm to the handicraft. The carved marbled lacquer ware by Zhang Cheng is the representative work of carved lacquer handicrafts in Yuan Dynasty.
The general standards of the carved marbled lacquer ware are possessed with a height of 6 centimeters and width of 14.5 centimeters. The shape of the carved marbled lacquer ware is in round shape and the lid is like a cove while the case is like a cylinder. The case is made of the techniques of Tixi Skills in the lacquer wares. At first, the raw materials of the article are lacquering for more than one hundred times. After the black lacquer the standard color layer, more lacquer will be added.
When the lacquer layer reaches to a certain thickness, the knife will be used to carve pattern of clouds of wishes. Then three strips of lines will be on the surface of the case. The lid and the body of the case will have three pairs of cloud patterns. The depth of the knife edge is about 1 centimeter and the case is decorated with total black lacquer. The bottom of the case is inscribed with Chinese characters Zhang Chengzao which means the case is made by Zhang Cheng by needles to recognize the creator of the carved marbled lacquer ware. The case by Zhang Cheng is in Anhui Provincial Museum.
Many foreign students like to buy this kind of delicate handicraft when they learn to speak Chinese in China. They think the handicraft is charming and of aesthetic values. The piece of work is simple and elegant. The body of the case is sparkling luster and of high art values. The carved marbled lacquer ware represents the high levels of the Chinese lacquering art.