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Chapter One. The Material Background |
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tools and methods in wood-carving |
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The instruments used in wood-carving were dao, knife, chisel, and hammer. When a large wooden post had to be carved, it was given a rough shape while it lay in the forest. Then it was dragged to the village and left to dry for many months. Only then did the sculptor set to work. Some artists drew the outlines of the planned figures with charcoal, but often a sculptor would begin his work with hammer and chisel, hacking chips from the post, until gradually the figure of man or beast grew out of the wood. When the figures had taken shape, the artist began to use his knife for the finer work of retouching. |
