Wuhu Tiehua 芜湖铁画 Wuhu Iron Painting

 

The Record of Vivid Images (1704) from Jiande (Dongzhi) Local Gazetteer (rp.1884?)

 

Jin Jun[1] (???)

Jin Jun was an official instructor of Jiande county in Anhui Province. He wrote this biography in honor of Liang Yingda native of Jiande, which is about one day travel to Wuhu by boat. Liang was said to have failed the civil service exam several times before he devoted himself to wrought iron and hammering. According to Jin, Liang learned the skill from blacksmiths in the neighborhood. This narrative goes against the mainstream narrative that Tang Peng, a blacksmith from Wuhu, learned about wrought iron painting from a literatus painter, Xiao Yuncong. Though it is hard to know which is truer, both narratives indicate a fusing of artisan production and literati painting in the eighteenth century.

 

The Record says, “‘the Record of Hundred Artificers’ from Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li) details hundred crafts. The Record discusses painting in the section of (???) tuohuo, mountain dragon (shanlong), (five-colored insect) huachong.  ………

 

Liang Yingda was native to Jiande. He learned poetry, calligraphy, and shooting in his childhood. He sought for success in the civil service exam; but failed [several times]. He was so discouraged that he decided to give up. [Instead] he made a living on hammering. He produced knives, saws, and tilling tools for profit. Because of his profession, he used his tricks for flowers, birds, insects, and fish. Nothing is bland. As times went on, Liang’s skill was improved and became perfect. Eventually Liang obtained his reputation in iron painting. Officials, nobilities, and prominent families came over to him by boat or vehicle. The price of his painting is often doubled.

 

I once saw two lanterns he made. They were made out of four iron paintings and then put together into a lantern. Each side of tiehua has no background but is framed by wood. The inner of lantern is slightly covered with thin silk. The outer is not covered so that the iron painting can be revealed. An empty space is created and iron is stretched and thinned into a painting. The color of iron is set as that of the painting. It is wrought and welded with fire. Stove is used as an ink stone. Hammer is used as a brush. Plants such as pine trees and bamboos are hammered. Blooming trees such as plum and crab apples are produced. Flowers such as orchid, chrysanthemums, peonies, lotus are forged. The composition is complementary and appropriate. Iron is wrought in water, rock, water weed, and fine grass. Decorative items include crabs’ shell, swallows’ feather, and insects. Tiny objects such as dragonfly, butterfly, cicada, grasshopper, and mantis. The blooming and withering of [flowers], waxing and waning of [plants], walking and happing of [insects], and flying of [birds] are completely fashioned and forged. None of essence has not been captured. They are more vividly represented than brush and ink. Even if a carpenter carefully carves and sculptures, their products cannot be as neat and vivid as iron painting.

 

Liang Yingda says, “in my prime year, I applied extraordinary skills of various crafts to produce tiehua. I sought masters and collected their techniques. After years, I was eventually able to be proficient in the business. No one can beat me in the south or the north. Now I am fifty years old. How many more years can I live? I am afraid that no later generation can see my skills.” Moved by his words, how can I not spread his skills? In the past when Sima Qian wrote history, from the upper classes such as geomancers to lower classes such as peddlers (maijiang), knife sharpener (saxue), chefs (weifu), and veterinarian (mayi) were all included in the Grand Historian. The later generation therefore included them into the section of fangji (technicians) in local gazetteers. Liang Yingda and his skills should be included into the section. In our society, numerous goldsmiths, jade carvers, brocade tailors, needle-workers, and painters devoted themselves for garments and ornaments. But blacksmith have long been mocked and discriminated. They were conceived to hammer for knife, saw, and iron tools. Their strength has been recognized while their smartness has been neglected. Liang did not despise this profession. He presented his smart tricks to compete with the craft of jade, gold, brocade, and embroidery. He learned from the master of carving, sculpturing, painting, and weaving and applied them into his hammering and welding. This is extremely difficult; yet they can last forever. It is a shame that iron has not been wrought into totems, mountain dragons, and five-colored insects to glorify the court. It has not been hammered into bells for harmonious sounds. Blacksmiths are discriminated against without reason. They are criticized for showing up and selling curious tricks. I have witnessed this craft in person and know about its extraordinary skills. I am also sympathetic with its miserable status. I fear that no later generations be able to see. Therefore, I made the words to admonish literary gentlemen, “the craft is tiny. Yet it cannot be attained without self-devotion.”  This is how I wrote the biography.

 

The fame should be faked. The words should be ostentatious. This is how the biography is written. It is believable and should be transmitted.

[1] Jin Jun was native to Qingpu, Shanghai. He was an instructor of Jiande county official school between 1743 and 1759 at Jiande County (Dongzhi today) in Anhui Province. He must have met Liang Yingda and wrote the biography during these years. Please consult the section of Art and Skills in Jiande County Gazetteer (1890).