“文物”進(jìn)了皇極殿

2005年年底，北京故宮皇極殿迎來一件嶄新的“文物”：一件由東陽木雕頂尖藝人復(fù)制的乾隆皇帝寶座。對于這件代表當(dāng)今木雕工藝最高水平的作品，故宮的專家組表示：“在擺進(jìn)皇極殿的那刻，這寶座就升格為當(dāng)今最年輕的歷史文物了！”

200多年前，全國最頂尖的木雕高手們集聚京城，花了整整3年時間，雕刻出當(dāng)時全國最華貴最具權(quán)威的椅子——乾隆皇帝使用的蟠龍寶座。這寶座被安放在皇宮金碧輝煌的皇極殿，后來成為乾隆退位后的座椅。然而到了上世紀(jì)60年代，這把寶座被送到了沈陽故宮博物院，并一直留在那里，由此，故宮的皇極殿便缺了一個寶座。40年來，寶座的“缺位”，給北京故宮留下了深深的遺憾。

令人欣慰的是，如今皇極殿又重新迎來乾隆寶座，這個寶座由浙江省東陽市木雕工藝大師黃小明領(lǐng)銜復(fù)制成功！黃小明用精湛的技藝，在這座具有“補白”性質(zhì)的寶座上刻寫了東陽木雕的精彩篇章。

再現(xiàn)盛世奢華

在浙江新東陽木雕有限公司，筆者有幸看到了寶座復(fù)制的最后一道程序：貼金。盡管有著充分的心理準(zhǔn)備，但當(dāng)工作人員小心翼翼地取出一疊巴掌大小的薄如蟬翼的金箔時，筆者還是屏住了呼吸，生怕一不小心就會把它吹亂。這些金箔都是含金量達(dá)98%的庫金，據(jù)估計，寶座上所用的全部金箔價值30多萬元！

黃小明告訴筆者，為了“做舊如舊”，他們還恢復(fù)了已經(jīng)失傳多年的一項油漆工藝：先用細(xì)麻布仔細(xì)包裹龍椅的每個部位，然后刷上傳統(tǒng)的生漆，經(jīng)過多道復(fù)雜工藝后，麻布全部被漆在油漆里層，外觀上已根本看不出麻布痕跡。這樣做，是為了解決木材的接縫、收縮、開裂等問題。

做出200多年前的油漆效果不是一件容易的事。據(jù)說在整個復(fù)制工程工序中，最難的就是雕刻和油漆，為此油漆工按照大漆的色重，光樣板就做了二三十塊。

乾隆寶座復(fù)制成功，康乾盛世的奢華頓時撲面襲來。但黃小明復(fù)制的絕不是奢華本身的物質(zhì)意義，而是對古老百工藝術(shù)的一種追溯和膜拜?！叭绻皇沁@次機(jī)會，恐怕我也不知道古代的制作工藝是如此繁瑣和精致。而且通過這個機(jī)會，我們發(fā)掘、恢復(fù)了不少古老失傳的工藝?！秉S小明說。

承載光榮歷史

早在2005年1月，中國竹工藝大師、黃小明的岳父何福禮經(jīng)過故宮大修專家組成員的重重考核，入選修繕“倦勤齋”的竹絲鑲嵌和翻簧部件，當(dāng)時何福禮“舉賢不避親”，建議在修繕“倦勤齋”工程中，其翻簧雕刻部分由其女婿黃小明承擔(dān)，得到了專家們的同意。就在“倦勤齋”工程進(jìn)行中，黃小明得到了另一條重要信息：故宮的皇極殿缺了一把蟠龍寶座，故宮正在全國范圍內(nèi)尋找木雕高手復(fù)制。

黃小明學(xué)習(xí)岳父敢拼敢闖的精神，立馬前往故宮“揭榜”。故宮給前來“揭榜”的多家單位和個人一張相同的龍椅局部圖案，要求每個行家按照圖紙做出樣品，在此基礎(chǔ)上故宮再確定入選者名單，參加國務(wù)院招標(biāo)辦舉行的招標(biāo)會。結(jié)果在國務(wù)院舉辦的招標(biāo)會上，從東陽小山村走出的、時年40歲的黃小明一舉中標(biāo)，并擔(dān)任了復(fù)制乾隆寶座的總設(shè)計師和總指導(dǎo)。

乾隆皇帝寶座包括地臺、屏風(fēng)和龍椅三個部分，其中龍椅是核心。寶座復(fù)制工藝包括繪畫、選材、脫水、雕刻、油漆、組合，其中最難做的是雕刻和油漆。龍椅的扶手有13條別具一格的金龍騰空盤旋，支撐點很少，鏤空難度更高。黃小明說，當(dāng)時預(yù)計整個工程需花費5000工，工期8個月，總造價達(dá)126萬元。但施工結(jié)果大大超出了預(yù)算，工期一再延長，投入也被一再追加?！拔也皇菫榱私?jīng)濟(jì)效益復(fù)制寶座，做什么都比做這個要賺錢，但龍椅不是誰都有機(jī)會做的?！秉S小明真誠地告訴筆者，“我去‘揭榜’時想得更多的是為了提高東陽木雕的知名度。數(shù)百年前東陽木雕工匠就參與了故宮的建造，作為東陽木雕的傳人，我有責(zé)任重續(xù)東陽木雕的輝煌。故宮專家組尋找的是全國頂尖的木雕高手，如果我能入選，就是對東陽木雕的最大肯定。這把由我們承制的寶座，也承載著東陽木雕的光榮歷史?！?/p>

演繹百工精彩

黃小明拿到中標(biāo)通知書后，并沒有急于著手制作，他首先帶一班人馬專程趕赴沈陽故宮，對先前的那個乾隆寶座進(jìn)行了全方位的“解析”。在沈陽故宮博物院，黃小明拍照、制圖，對這座寶座的所有的構(gòu)件都進(jìn)行了仔細(xì)研究，甚至鉆到寶座底下進(jìn)行測繪，他說：“原版寶座的每一個犄角旮旯都被我們測量過了！”在黃小明的電腦里，乾隆寶座的圖片存得滿滿的，在制作過程中每每遇到一點疑問，他就馬上打開電腦里的圖片資料查詢。黃小明說，讓師傅們到沈陽故宮不光是為了測數(shù)據(jù)，更重要的是為了讓他們徹底了解歷史文化，感受皇家風(fēng)范。這種宏大威嚴(yán)的感受平日是無法想象的，只有身臨其境才能感受得到，才會做出大作品。

從沈陽回來后，木雕師傅們花了一個多月時間，按照l∶5的比例制作了“縮微龍椅”，這是開工前的一次“彩排”，誠如木工老師傅申屠梅榮所言：“沒有做出這個樣品前，我們誰也沒底兒，過了一遍手，我們就有數(shù)了，復(fù)制寶座就有信心了。”

寶座上的蟠龍是木雕中最關(guān)鍵的工藝，也是最難的技術(shù)活。黃小明說，龍椅的靠背和扶手有13條蟠龍，首尾相連，盤根錯節(jié)；龍椅背靠高大屏風(fēng)，頂部的“屏帽”又雕刻著7條蟠龍，而寶座的其他部位也布滿姿態(tài)各異的龍。為此申屠老師傅經(jīng)常被前來參觀的人追問：“整個乾隆的寶座中到底有多少條龍？”其實申屠師傅也搞不清具體數(shù)目：“我想近千條是會有的，再問得細(xì)我就干脆告訴他們，大概是999條龍！”說著他也笑了。

在近千條龍中最難的就是乾隆椅上13條蟠龍的雕刻。申屠師傅說，他家祖孫六代都從事木雕，對于東陽木雕各個時期的風(fēng)格都比較熟悉，他在沈陽故宮看到的寶座上的木雕技法，是典型的東陽木雕風(fēng)格，這給了他很大的信心。但是萬萬沒有想到做龍椅上的蟠龍還是這么難，因為13條龍全都騰空盤旋，支撐點很少，鏤空難度更高。不過經(jīng)過一番苦思冥想，他們還是想出一個方法：先制作出蟠龍的泥模，然后用木頭分段雕刻拼接。由于制作精細(xì)，這種拼接讓人硬是無法看出痕跡，可謂“天衣無縫”。

黃小明說：“整個寶座沒有一處地方是簡單的，所以原定截止的工期一拖再拖。這是個大作品，不能留下遺憾，我不能砸了東陽木雕的牌子。”整個制作過程中，黃小明去了四次沈陽故宮，他要將寶座復(fù)制得萬無一失！

2005年8月29日，在故宮專家組的驗收中，大家最后以“完美”兩字作為總結(jié)詞，而且還稱贊“某些細(xì)節(jié)的處理甚至超過了200年前的工藝水平”。面對專家組的肯定，黃小明謙遜地說：“這件作品是大家共同完成的，在整個過程中我得到了許多人的幫助，我只是盡我所能?！?/p>

追尋藝術(shù)理想

黃小明出生于1965年，從16歲起他就開始學(xué)習(xí)木雕，并師從中國工藝美術(shù)大師馮文土。二十多年的從藝經(jīng)歷，磨練出他嫻熟的木雕工藝、創(chuàng)新能力以及廣博的美學(xué)修養(yǎng)。誠如中國工藝美術(shù)學(xué)會副理事長兼秘書長陳興國所言，他有扎實的傳統(tǒng)木雕創(chuàng)作技法又具現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)理念，是一位有思想的青年藝術(shù)家。

作為東陽木雕的后起之秀，黃小明以他一批構(gòu)思精巧的木雕作品起步，繼以革新東陽木雕在新民藝建筑裝飾中的作用而揚名，他曾獲國家級金獎、銀獎十余項，省級大獎二十多項。他的《新世紀(jì)的呼喚》獲中國工藝美術(shù)創(chuàng)作大展世紀(jì)杯金獎；《悟》《和平發(fā)展》《臥薪嘗膽》分獲首屆（杭州）國際民間手工藝品展覽會金、銀獎；《魯班的故事》獲第三屆（2003杭州）國際民間手工藝品展覽會金獎；在2005年西博會第五屆中國工藝美術(shù)大師作品暨工藝美術(shù)精品博覽會上，他的《香山九老圖》《九龍圖》《國色天香》分獲金、銀、銅獎。他將傳統(tǒng)的木雕工藝和竹藝運用于建筑裝飾領(lǐng)域，在新民藝方面作了積極的探索。2002年10月杭州雷峰塔重建完工，黃小明應(yīng)邀設(shè)計制作大型東陽木雕掛屏《雷峰塔詩詞畫意》，他采用古代竹簡形式，獨出機(jī)杼，運用木雕藝術(shù)中文字或陰雕或嵌翠、風(fēng)光與人物插圖或浮雕或鑲嵌的手法，讓詩、書、畫、雕四位一體，珠聯(lián)璧合，使雷峰塔彰顯出歷史文化底蘊；他承接設(shè)計裝飾的北京飯店、昆明翠湖賓館、宜興紅漪園茶館，或莊重高雅雍容華貴，盡顯富麗堂皇之氣勢，或風(fēng)情濃郁落落大方，體現(xiàn)和諧融合的詩情畫意，或古樸典雅溫婉柔媚，道盡江南文采風(fēng)流與人文興盛。

Masters Reproduce the Dragon Throne

By Fang Lu， Wu Xuhua

In December 2006， the Hall of the Norms of Government in the Forbidden City in Beijing welcomed a brand new historical replication: the dragon throne of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Top experts commented that the minute it was placed in the hall， the throne became the newest antique treasure in the 600-year-old palace.

Over 200 years ago， top woodcarving masters from all over China gathered in Beijing and spent three years making the dragon throne for Emperor Qianlong (who reigned from 1736-1796). The emperor kept it even after he abdicated the throne. However， in the 1960s， the throne was transferred to the Shenyang Palace Museum in northeast China. It remains there. For four decades， the Hall of the Norms of the Government in the Forbidden City had been without a dragon throne.

So when the Forbidden City underwent a repair project in the 21st century， a proposal for remaking a dragon throne for the hall was put on the agenda.

In 2005， He Fuli， a veteran handicraft master from Dongyang， Zhejiang Province with more than fifty-year experience in the art of bamboo-weaving， was chosen to repair some furniture in the imperial study (See Cultural Dialogue No.4， 2006 for details). He Fuli led a team to the Forbidden City. His son-in-law Huang Xiaoming， a key expert on the team， was there when the Forbidden City administration posted a “Wanted”notice to the masters involved in separate repair projects on the premise of the palaces， hoping to enlist woodcarving masters to remake the dragon throne.

Huang Xiaoming offered to do the job. He and other bidders were asked to do a sample part of the throne and present their replications to the public bidding office under the State Council.

The forty-year-old Huang from a small mountain village was finally chosen to be in charge of designing and reproducing the throne. When explaining his motivation， Huang could not help but let his pride in his art shine: “When I signed myself up to do the job， I meant to further enhance the reputation of the Dongyang woodcarving. Masters from Dongyang took part in the construction of the Forbidden City. As a woodcarver from Dongyang， I shoulder the responsibility for carrying on the honor and the fine tradition. The experts“panel from the Forbidden City was looking for the best carvers in the country. If I was chosen， it would be the best recognition for the Dongyang woodcarving. The new throne would carry the past glory of Dongyang carving.”The throne is by no means something easy to reproduce. Huang Xiaoming headed a panel of masters from his company in Dongyang and conducted a field study at the Shenyang Palace Museum. The Emperor Qianlong’s throne was photographed in detail. Drawings were made. All the structure pieces on the throne were meticulously studied and measured. He even got under the throne to take measures. It was a thorough research and Huang’s computer became a library where all the photographs and drawings and other data were stored.

After the field study， the carvers at Huang’s company made a replicate five times smaller than the original. Making the replicate was like a dress rehearsal， enabling the masters to know exactly what to do. The masters also became aware that the woodcarving skills embodied in the original throne were typical of the Dongyang woodcarving. They became more confident.

But confidence was one thing and getting the job done was another. The throne was a three-part challenge: a platform， a chair and a standing screen. The chair was the most important and most difficult to make. In particular， the thirteen gilded dragons soaring and circling on the armrests and the backrest looked like a mission impossible. The openwork carving has only a few supporting spots. The masters discussed the issue thoroughly and then figured out a way to do the openwork carving. They carved parts first and then put separate parts together to form a complete piece. The jointing was done so meticulously that none of the joints can be seen on the dragons. The whole throne was coated with gold spangles as thin as cicada’s wings.

In order to make a perfect throne， Huang Xiaoming visited the throne at the Shenyang Palace Museum four more times during the remaking.

Although it had been mapped out that the throne would require an input of 5，000 man-days and a budget of 1.26 million yuan and would last eight months， it turned out that more funds and time were needed.

On August 29， 2006， experts from the Forbidden City inspected the complete work. “Perfect”was the final and unanimous verdict. It was pointed out that some details surpassed those made 200 years before.

Though modest in saying that the work was a team achievement and that he received a lot of help， Huang has every reason to be proud.

Born in 1965， Huang started woodcarving at 16 under the tutelage of Feng Wentu， a national master of crafts. Over the two decades， Huang had matured artistically and become a celebrated master of innovation and aesthetics. He is the recipient of a dozen of national gold and silver medals and more than 20 provincial first-place honors for his woodcarving masterpieces. The woodcarving projects he has undertaken include a large-scale wall carving piece for the Pagoda on Thunder Peak in Hangzhou and carvings for Beijing Hotel.

(Translated by David)