Vintage 1986 Chinese Lanzhou Etched Gourd Scrimshaw Pendant Multi Strand Necklac For Sale

Up for your consideration is a Vintage 1986 Chinese Lanzhou Etched Gourd Scrimshaw Pendant Multi Strand Necklace.This piece was made in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China.(Ma Xinyuan): This is the signature of the artisan or scribe who etched the gourd. Lanzhou is the only region in China with a centuries-old tradition specifically dedicated to cultivating these specific miniature, egg-shaped calabash gourds exclusively to use them as smooth canvases for micro-calligraphy and landscape art.The central oval piece is a specially dried, miniature calabash gourd rather than stone or bone. Etching fine lines onto gourds with hot needles or fine blades is a traditional Chinese folk art practice famously preserved in regions like Lanzhou. Once etched, ink is rubbed into the grooves to make the image and calligraphy pop.Lanzhou is universally recognized as the historical birthplace and premier hub for Chinese hot-needle gourd micro-engraving.The inscription names the specific workshop location as 一碧轩 (Yibixuan Studio). During the state-supported folk art revival of the mid-1980s, master craftsmen in Lanzhou established designated private studios and small workshop collectives to fulfill fine-art export demand, often gathering under localized regional design guilds in Gansu.The entire object—from the growing of the unique miniature gourd to the specialized needle-etching and ink-rubbing process—is a quintessential product of Lanzhou\'s specialized regional artisan community.The style of the ink application, the precision of the needle-etching, and the uniform design of the multi-strand bone/resin seed beads point directly to the folk-art revival period of Lanzhou gourd carving that flourished in the late 20th century.Based on the custom signature and historical cycle dating visible in the calligraphy, this piece is most likely 40 years old, dating precisely to 1986. One side of the gourd features a different text entirely, beautifully etched in a fluent cursive script. It consists of a romantic and poetic description of a woman\'s dance, followed by a dedication to a classical painting style.The back of the gourd features cursive Chinese calligraphy (Xing-Cao script). It quotes a famous Tang Dynasty poem celebrating Zhao Feiyan, an empress renowned for her legendary, lightweight dancing jsaction=\"\" jscontroller=\"Gy8rfb#B4oRN\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" jsuid=\"D5Bf0_4o\" data-sfc-pl=\"|||[]\" data-complete=\"true\" "Google Sans", Roboto, Arial, sans-serif, "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(230, 232, 240);\" style=\"margin: 0px; border-bottom: 0px rgb(230, 232, 240);\">(Even if you ask who in the Han palace could compare to her, only the lovely Zhao Feiyan relying on her fresh makeup.)
The Main Poetic TextThe first four columns on the right describe the grace, garments, and fluid movements of a dancer:

• \"驚霧初已驚忘机\" (The startled mist has just begun, making one forget all clever calculations / worldly worries.)
• \"朱履何柳初何蓮\" (The red shoes move like swaying willows, light like a fresh lotus.)
• \"茹香帶婷鸝駕隨雲\" (Bearing a fragrant aura, her graceful posture resembles an oriole riding along with the moving clouds.)
• \"驚海探花歸歸\" (Like diving into the sea or searching for flowers, she spins and returns.

This is just a bit of the information I found about this pendant. I will include the red silk bag along with the pendant. Thankyou for taking the time to look at my ad.