Ousu (Oil-Clay Sculpture)

Ousu

Ousu is an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Zhejiang Province.

　　Ousu, commonly known as colored oil-clay sculpture or referred to as "colored relief sculpture," is a unique folk art and traditional craftwork exclusive to Wenzhou, Zhejiang. It uses refined tung oil and clay as its primary materials, employing a stacking and molding technique. It is used to decorate temple and shrine walls, as well as traditional bridal dowry items such as cosmetic boxes and lacquered furniture. Originating in the Han Dynasty and evolving from the layering techniques in Chinese lacquerware art, it features rich colors, diverse techniques, a wide range of themes, and flexible sizing. It is widely applied in architectural reliefs, murals, decorative patterns, and artistic ornaments. Together with "Boxwood Carving," "Dongyang Woodcarving," and "Qingtian Stone Carving," it is collectively known as the "Three Carvings and One Sculpture of Zhejiang."

　　Ousu is characterized by free composition, clear layering, bright colors, and strong three-dimensionality.

　　A distinctive feature of the new Ousu technique is the organic integration of two inherently different art forms: sculpture and painting. It combines the strengths of both round sculpture and relief sculpture, thus belonging to the realm of sculpture. It also incorporates techniques from both Western and Chinese painting, especially the use of light and color principles from Western art to express dimensionality, space, and texture. By blending the specialties of sculpture and painting into a cohesive style, it creates a unique and distinctive form.

　　The main theory behind Western relief is “gradual compression,” while that of Chinese relief emphasizes “capturing light and shadow.” Ousu skillfully absorbs both methods, often using the former to depict high-relief elements focused on broad planes, and the latter for low-relief elements emphasizing lines. The former shapes the foreground and main subjects with clear outlines and prominent imagery, while the latter renders softer background elements. Sometimes, to highlight the main subject and create a lifelike effect where the scene seems to leap out of the frame, the scenery is even sculpted to achieve a near three-dimensional visual impact.

　　Ousu, also called "oil-clay sculpture," blends painting, relief, and clay modeling. It uses highly malleable, multicolored oil-clay to shape figures, landscapes, scenery, flowers, birds, and animals, resulting in vibrant and dazzling works. In addition, compared to typical reliefs, Ousu has another distinctive trait—it uses color to depict the intensity of light, warmth or coolness of tones, and depth of space, thereby significantly enhancing the artistic appeal of the piece. In this regard, it shares similarities with Western realistic oil painting. The principles of light and color, along with tone processing, have become indispensable artistic tools in Ousu. Therefore, Ousu art is both an ancient art form and a refreshingly young one. The artists’ bold and valuable innovations have endowed Ousu with a strong sense of contemporary relevance unmatched by other art forms.

　　According to research, it developed from ancient traditional clay sculpture by incorporating techniques from folk lacquerware production. By the Song Dynasty, it had already reached a relatively high level of artistic sophistication. Early clay sculptures had monotonous colors, but artisans later replaced plain lacquer clay with a mixture of various materials to create oil-clay. This new material offered the advantages of flexible coloring, strong malleability, fine and tough texture, resistance to peeling, and long-lasting durability. Additional decorations such as gold leaf and silver inlay gave the artworks an elegant, classic, and richly colorful appearance. After the founding of New China, artisans built upon traditional skills and boldly innovated, skillfully integrating stacking, painting, and carving techniques. As a result, Ousu evolved into a comprehensive craft industry. Its characteristics include vibrant colors, unrestricted compositions, clear layering, and it is commonly used for large standing screens, hanging screens, multi-panel screens, wall clocks, and small jewelry boxes. The content includes floral birds, landscapes, and opera characters. The themes are broad, and the varieties diverse—ranging from murals and hanging screens to furniture, table screens, jewelry boxes, and various packaging boxes—all deeply loved by people.

　　The craft of Ousu has a long history. The earliest discovered Ousu artifact—a cosmetic box unearthed from the Xianyan Pagoda in Wenzhou—features delicate craftsmanship and lively patterns. It dates back to the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1086–1094), making it over 900 years old.

　　Throughout history, Ousu crafts were mainly used to decorate Buddhist statues, door gods, official buildings, furniture, dowry items, and gift boxes. The craftsmanship was relatively simple, limited to monochrome designs or gold/silver leaf applications, and the style resembled modern gold-lacquered painted lacquerware.