Wenzhou Stone Carving

Wenzhou Stone Carving

　　Wenzhou Stone Carving

　　Wenzhou Stone Carving. Wenzhou stone carvings mainly use high-quality argillaceous chlorite from Qingtian, which features rich colors, unique patterns, a wide variety of types, a waxy luster, and a smooth touch. The carving tools include chisels (available in both square and round mouths), gouges (categorized into flat, round, and beveled mouths), rotary drills, awls (a tool covered in sharp copper spikes), saws, and more.

　　The production process: First, select the material according to the requirements of the artwork, then carefully conceptualize the layout. The second step is to roughly shape the outer contour of the piece by chiseling, and create smaller surface divisions for landscape details using pointed chisels — commonly referred to as “roughing out” and “detail poking.” Next, numerous circular holes of varying sizes are made in the stone to prepare for intricate openwork carving. Finally, the most detailed and expressive parts are finely carved, and unnecessary knife marks and chisel traces are removed to make the piece smooth and appealing. After the carving is completed, the base is matched, padding is installed, and the piece is polished and waxed.

　　Stone carving techniques are diverse, including round carving, openwork carving, relief carving, line engraving, and inlaying, among which round carving and openwork carving

　　are the most common, with openwork carving being the most distinctive. To achieve lifelike forms, multi-layered openwork carving techniques are used to intricately depict details and rich layers of the scenery, making the artwork appear natural, realistic, and vivid. There are also works that do not emphasize realism but instead pursue artistic charm through exaggeration, distortion, decoration, and other methods.

　　Wenzhou Stone Carving makes full use of the beauty of Qingtian stone to showcase superb craftsmanship. It possesses strong local characteristics and is highly appreciated by audiences both domestically and internationally.