Echoes of Heritage

Previous life: the historical flow of leather painting techniques

Mongolian leather painting techniques originated in the Paleolithic era of animal skins, the Han Dynasty, “Historical Records - Xiongnu Biography”, “clothing its leather, by the chandelier”, reflecting the most primitive way of utilizing the leather of the nomadic people of northern China. To the “han shu - food and goods” recorded in han wudi yuan huni four years “to white buckskin square feet, edge to alga-color, for leather coins” when the leather art has shown ritualized features. Liao Dynasty Princess Chen tomb unearthed gilt burin flower leather pouch pot, confirming the “Liao Shi - Yiwei Zhi” “saddle and bridle with leather, decorated with gold and silver,” the record, showing the 10th century nomadic people mature leather carving skills. Yuan Dynasty “Marco Polo Travels” details that “the Mongols used bison skin to make lightweight and sturdy armor”, and “Yuan Shi - Public Apparel Zhi” “saddles and bridles made of vermilion lacquer leather” regulations, marking the standardization of the development of the court leather art. The Ming Dynasty Xiao Daheng “northern captivity customs” recorded “its leather work is exquisite, saddle and bridle is particularly good”, the Qing Dynasty “Royal Qing Gong Figure” more illustrations of the Khalkha women “leather as a base, color embroidery” craft details. Kangxi dynasty “mouth north of the three halls of the record” in “Zhangjiakou leather craftsmen carving saddles, near and far,” confirming the “traveling Mongolian merchants” to promote the formation of the fusion of Chinese and Mongolian crafts. These ancient documents together outline the complete development trajectory of Mongolian leather art from “leather shoes” (primitive leather clothes) to “saddle” (carved horse harness), from necessities to art carriers.

In 2021, Mongolian leather art was selected as one of the representative items of national intangible cultural heritage. Those ancient skills that once carried the nomadic civilization on the grassland are now blooming in the halo of the times with amazing artistic splendor.

 

Today's Life: Modern Presentation of Leather Painting

Modern Mongolian leather painting art is like a crescent moon rising on the grassland, blossoming in the interweaving of tradition and innovation. At the level of craftsmanship, this ancient technology has broken through the limitations of the original hand-carved, artisans will be digital design and traditional branding technology perfect fusion, to create a breathtaking “light and shadow translucent carving method”, through the precise control of the leather fibers of the deformation of the heat, so that the picture shows relief-like three-dimensional level; environmental protection vegetable tanning technology innovation application, so that the leather in the preservation of the original roughness of the leather, the leather is a good choice. The application of environmental protection vegetable tanning technology innovation, so that the leather in the retention of the original rough texture at the same time, access to a richer color expressive power; composite cross-border use of the work is given unprecedented durability and artistic tension, so that the leather paintings from the practical crafts metamorphosed into a collection of value of the art treasures.

In the creation of subject matter, contemporary leather painting art has transcended the traditional nomadic scene of the fence, such as galloping steeds to break free from the reins of free riding in a broader creative world: from the vast starry sky to the microcosm, from the ecological philosophical thinking to the urban silhouette, the artists to leather as a canvas, with the knife as a brush, the grassland civilization of the profound wisdom of the modern society of the pluralistic picture melted into a shocking visual poetry. Those lines wandering between the texture of the leather, sometimes as unrestrained as the wind sweeping over the grass waves, sometimes as delicate and gentle as the condensation of the morning dew, in a combination of rigidity and gentleness, speaks of the unique spiritual temperament of this era. This kind of artistic practice of innovation and breakthrough in the rightness and inheritance not only continues the blood and soul of the nomadic culture, but also makes Mongolian leather painting, a thousand-year-old skill, blossom in the starry sky of contemporary art with a bright and glittering light.