Variegated Copperware
Variegated copperwares are the traditional folk artworks unique to Southwest China's Yunnan Province, and boast a history of more than 300 years. The process of making variegated copperware is complicated and strict, requiring high-quality copper alloy as its base material.
Variegated copperware features russet variegated patterns on its surface and a touch of grandeur. When copper is mixed evenly with other compounds, it can achieve copper products of a single color, such as brass, purple copper, bronze, etc. If unevenly mixed, the surface of the copper will result in either faint or strong variegated patterns. Variegated copperware is achieved by mixing copper and other compounds unevenly.
The variegated copperware of Yunnan Province not only inherits and improves on its traditional characteristics, but also assimilates artistic elements from Yunnan's bronze and bronze culture from the Central Plains and integrates the techniques of modern sculpting. Currently, the products appear in six categories: human figures, animals, flowers, vases and pots, burners, wall decorations, and household utensils.
Artworks made of variegated copper are simple and unsophisticated, yet elegant. Among them, peacock, ox and tiger motifs are most unique in Yunnan. Yunnan variegated copperware has won international prizes on several occasions and has been designated as State-level gifts sent abroad.
Variegated copperware has long been considered as an artwork for collectors. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, craftsmen in the Dongchuan area of Yunnan began to use high-quality natural copper to make incense burners, vases and pots, among which the more precious ones became articles of tribute.
After the founding of new China in 1949, the Kunming Variegated Copperware Manufacturer -- the only professional manufacturer of such products in China -- was established, inheriting the traditional techniques with a focus on innovation. After more than 30 years of efforts, the company produced many quality variegated copperware works. According to statistics, the products from the manufacturer have won more than 40 prizes and honors. Some curious pieces, such as the "Archaized Ox", "Five-Shape Incense Burner", "Kwan-yin Statue," etc, are very famous. Others, such as the "Peacock King and Buddha", "Peacock Vase", "Great Rhinoceros," etc, were listed as industrial arts treasures by the national government in 1986.
