Panels for a Japanese Screen
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This could have been the perfect “How I Spent My Summer” school essay! I had plenty of plans for the summer and was once again heading off to the country. Naturally, I don’t have a workshop there. Last year, I took my petit point project with me. I wouldn’t say I did a great deal, but I did make some progress. That will get a post of its own. This time, I decided to take my woodcarving tools as well. In went a jeweller’s saw, needle files, a rotary tool, and an assortment of other small tools. It all fit into two little cases.
My original plan was to work through the lessons in a woodcarving manual from 1909, which I’d found on archive.org back in the spring. I’d usually passed books like this by: too much geometric carving and too many odd projects that had little relevance to my work. This book was an exception, with plenty of practical advice and interesting, unusual lessons and projects that I actually wanted to try. I brought along some ivorywood and pearwood for my experiments. But that’s another story. And, yes, another post.Initially, I planned to work through wood carving lessons from a 1909 textbook that I found on archive.org back in the spring. I used to avoid such textbooks—they had a lot of geometric carving and strange projects that weren’t applicable to my field. This textbook was an exception: lots of practical advice, interesting non-trivial lessons and projects I actually wanted to recreate. For my experiments I brought ivorite and pear wood with me. But that’s not what this is about. Again, I’ll make a separate post.
Besides working through the book, I wanted an actual piece to work on. Something that called for slow, unhurried handwork. Something carved. Or perhaps marquetry. As it happens, I managed to do both, with a few qualifications. Before leaving, I even managed to prepare working drawings for several different pieces. Spoiler: I never started any of them!
Then I suddenly remembered a piece I’d once been completely in love with, but had never dared to attempt. It was a Chinese cabinet, carved from top to bottom. Just looking at it was intimidating! While searching for similar pieces, hoping to find something a little less daunting in scale, I came across this screen. This one was Japanese, made for export. Do I even need to say that I’ll be writing a separate post about that too? I’m keeping the original photo under wraps for now..
What really caught my attention about this screen wasn’t the panels themselves, but the material used to decorate the frames: red urushi lacquer. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it for sale on Ozon, our local Amazon. Several colors, too, and even the base lacquer for the first priming coat. Of course, I bought the lot and tried it all out. And yes, I owe you a separate post about that as well.
I had some doubts about the lacquer and how carving it would go. Preparing the frames is a lengthy process, so I started working on the panels at the same time. There will be four panels, with applied carved decoration on both sides. That’s quite unusual for me, since most European screens are decorated on just one side.
The decorative elements on the original piece were made from lacquer, mother-of-pearl, various woods, and ivory. I’d stocked up on a beautiful ivory substitute called Elforyn, so that’s what I used. I made drawings and sketches for the panels, and then it was a matter of getting on with the carving. So far, I’ve managed to make two panels. Here’s how they looked at that stage.
Not everything worked on the first try. I ended up redoing one panel, and I’d still like to refine some details across the whole piece. Once I was back in my workshop at home and looked at a panel under the microscope, my confidence in both my skills and my eyesight began to wobble.
And the most exciting part of this project isn’t even the carving, but that striking background. The plan was to use royal blue. At first, I wasn’t sure it would look right, even though that was the exact color used on the original screen. I took a chance, and I absolutely loved the result.
For some reason, I was very nervous about this project as a whole. It’s quite different from my usual work, and still feels unfamiliar. The carved frames deserve special attention, too. I suppose I’m going through one of those phases in my work where I doubt everything, including my own abilities.
I’m working on the third panel now, with the same motifs: cranes, lotus flowers, and oak leaves. It’s such a lovely, peaceful scene, and I’m really enjoying working on it.
And on the original screen, at least according to what I’ve read, all the carved elements were made separately and attached using the same lacquer as an adhesive. I’m using wood glue 🙂