Scrimshaw
贝雕
贝壳的种类很多，是大自然鬼斧神工之作，色彩和纹理也很美丽，有的还是很妙的反光体。
There are many types of shells, which are masterpieces of nature. The colours and textures are also beautiful, and some are even wonderful reflectors.
贝雕巧妙的将人与海结合起来，贝雕是海的绮丽与传统文化智慧的结晶，具有贝壳的自然美、雕塑的技法美和国画的格调美。自古而来记载着人与海的故事，传达着人们对美好向往和期待。
Shell carving cleverly combines people with the sea. Shell carving is the crystallisation of the beauty of the sea and the wisdom of traditional culture, possessing the natural beauty of shells, the technique beauty of sculpture, and the style beauty of traditional Chinese painting. Since ancient times, it has recorded the story of people and the sea, conveying people's longing and expectations for beauty.
北海贝雕
贝雕（北海贝雕）发展历史可追溯到汉代。从北海合浦民间传世的明清贝雕家具及工艺品考证，贝雕技艺成熟于明末清初。合浦廉州在唐宋元明清各代是州、府、县治所在地，达官显贵、封建地主、贾商富豪都云集于此，达官显贵之家所使用的台椅、茶几、衣柜、屏风等大多以酸枝木为原料，用珍珠贝壳加工成各种花鸟、人物图案和书法字体来镶嵌家具，做成各种花纹和图形的贝雕。这种“螺钿”工艺一直传承。
The development history of shell carving (Beihai shell carving) can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. According to research from the Ming and Qing dynasties, shell-carving furniture and handicrafts were passed down from the folk in Hepu Beihai, and the shell-carving technique matured in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Hepu Lianzhou was the state, prefecture, and county government seat during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. High-ranking officials, feudal landlords, and wealthy merchants gathered here. The tables, chairs, coffee tables, wardrobes, screens, and other items used in the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles were mostly made of sourwood and processed into various flower and bird patterns, character designs, and calligraphy fonts using pearl shells to embed furniture and create shell carvings with multiple patterns and shapes. This' mother of pearl 'craftsmanship has been passed down through generations.
北海贝雕画是广西传统的民族工艺品，有悠久的历史，是中国文化宝库中的瑰宝，承载着古老文化又体现现代文明，是认识北海、宣传北海的重要载体，是北海的城市“名片”。贝雕画是艺人巧用贝壳的天然色泽、纹理形状，经精心设计、雕琢、堆贴而创作出的高雅艺术品。Beihai shell carving painting is a traditional ethnic handicraft in Guangxi with a long history. It is a treasure in the treasure trove of Chinese culture, carrying ancient culture and reflecting modern civilisation. It is an important carrier for understanding and promoting Beihai and a "business card" of Beihai city. Shell carving is an elegant artwork created by artists who skillfully use the natural colour, texture, and shape of shells through careful design, carving, and stacking.
贝雕画将国画的神韵、刺绣的空灵、玉雕的质感、珍珠的光泽浑然天成地融为一体，有极高而独特的艺术欣赏性。因其材质为日月精华固化而形成的具有灵光宝气、古代曾用之为货币的贝，而寓意画中有贝、室中有宝。民俗则认为其可辟邪聚宝，乃镇宅镇室之物。
Beidiao's painting seamlessly integrates the charm of traditional Chinese painting, the ethereal spirit of embroidery, the texture of jade carving, and the lustre of pearls, creating a highly unique artistic appreciation. Because its material is the essence of the sun and the moon, it forms a shell with the spirit of light and treasure, which was used as currency in ancient times. The allegorical painting contains shells, and the room contains treasures. According to folk customs, it is believed to ward off evil and gather treasures and is the property of the town and its residents.
北海贝雕画是以贝壳、海螺为原料，经雕磨、堆贴而成的工艺美术品。北海贝雕画的构图吸取国画的风格与浓厚的东方艺术构思。题材分人物、花鸟及山水三大类。产品有15种规格、1600余品种。以花卉贝雕为最佳，如牡丹、月季、龙菊及芙蓉等。
Beihai shell carving painting is a craft art product made from shells and seashells as raw materials, which are carved, ground, stacked and pasted. The composition of Beihai shell carvings draws on the style of traditional Chinese painting and strong Eastern artistic concepts. The themes are divided into three categories: characters, flowers and birds, and mountains and waters. There are 15 specifications and over 1600 varieties of products. Flower shell carving is the best, such as peonies, roses, chrysanthemums, and hibiscus.
大连贝雕
大连是我国贝雕的发源地，素有“贝雕工艺摇篮”之称，产品远销50多个国家和地区。大连的贝雕艺人用当地贝壳作为原料，根据每种贝壳的色泽和形状特点，运用传统雕刻手法和国画构图形式，制成浮雕花鸟、山水、人物等贝雕画，形象逼真，栩栩如生。
Dalian is the birthplace of shell carving in China, known as the "cradle of shell carving craftsmanship", and its products are exported to more than 50 countries and regions. Dalian's shell carving artists use local shells as raw materials and, based on the colour and shape characteristics of each shell, use traditional carving techniques and traditional Chinese painting composition forms to create relief paintings of flowers, birds, landscapes, figures, and other shell carvings, with realistic and lifelike images.
大连的贝雕艺人，用松花江的粉红色江贝、长沙的洁白色佛耳贝、海南岛的金色黄广螺和当地沿海的茵绿色绿银蛤等上百种贝壳作为原料，根据每种贝壳的色泽和形状特点，运用我国传统雕刻手法和国画构图形式，精制成半立体浮雕的花鸟、山水、人物等贝雕画，形象逼真，栩栩如生。
Dalian's shell carving artists use hundreds of types of shells, including pink river shells from Songhua River, clean white Buddha's ear shells from Changsha, golden yellow snails from Hainan Island, and green silver clams from the local coastal areas, as raw materials. Based on the colour and shape characteristics of each shell, they use traditional Chinese carving techniques and traditional Chinese painting composition forms to refine semi-three-dimensional relief shell carvings of flowers, birds, landscapes, figures, etc., with realistic and lifelike images.
传统的螺钿镶嵌等贝壳装饰工艺，给大连贝雕艺人以启示。他们在研究中发现，贝壳不仅有表皮的颜色，而且还有各种各样的绮丽的潜伏色。这样，就可以利用贝壳的多种自然色泽和弯度，雕磨成各种山水、花鸟、人物画。因为这种贝雕画区别于用单一的贝壳制作的螺钿镶嵌和用贝壳原形组配的贝雕，所以被称为新兴工艺。
The traditional shell decoration techniques, such as mother-of-pearl inlay, inspire Dalian shell carving artists. They found in their research that shells not only have the color of their skin but also various beautiful latent colours. In this way, the various natural colours and curvatures of shells can be used to carve and grind various landscapes, flowers and birds, and figure paintings. Because this type of shell carving is different from single shell inlay and shell carving composed of shell prototypes, it is called an emerging craft.
Summary
贝雕在许多地区都有生产，主要产区有湖北的仙桃市、辽宁的大连、旅大、山东的青岛、广西的北海、广东的陆丰和江苏的连云港等地。
Beidiao is produced in many regions, including Xiantao City in Hubei, Dalian and Luda in Liaoning, Qingdao in Shandong, Beihai in Guangxi, Lufeng in Guangdong, and Lianyungang in Jiangsu.
贝雕工艺品的制作较为复杂，优质的贝雕工艺品往往经过装裱，有的还配有底座，具有较高的艺术观赏价值。贝雕往往需要投入大量的人力物力，一件只有几十斤重的贝雕画，有时需要消耗一两吨制作原料，经过两三个月的精雕细凿才能完成。
The production of shell carving crafts is relatively complex. High-quality shell carving crafts are often mounted, and some even come with bases, which have high artistic appreciation value. Shell carving often requires a large amount of manpower and material resources. A shell carving painting weighing only a few tens of pounds sometimes requires one or two tons of production materials, and it takes two or three months of fine carving and chiselling to complete.
贝壳曾经作为货币，在历史中扮演权利和富贵的角色;而今则作为艺术形式，是海洋生命力的象征。不论是人物还是鱼鸟，都是匠人们据其纹理与色彩，精心构造雕刻而成。它的美丽并不随着时代的更迭而堙没，反而大放光彩。
Shells once served as currency, playing a role of power and wealth in history. Nowadays, as an art form, it is a symbol of the vitality of the ocean. Whether it is characters or fish and birds, they are carefully constructed and carved by craftsmen based on their textures and colours. Its beauty does not fade with time but rather shines brightly.
