Traditional Chinese Garden Carved Cork Painting

Considered as one of the three art treasures of Fuzhou these cork carvings or cork paintings were and still are made by skilled Chinese artisans in factories. I know that sounds a bit off putting but not just anyone gets into those factories, many of the artists were apprentices from a young age and learned the skills needed over decades so as to be able enough to create these beautiful pieces of art.

The art of cork carving stems from the early 20th century and the artists use the bark of cork oaks from europe to create them. The glazed casing surrounding these gorgeous scenes are made from paper mache.

These two pieces show traditional Chinese gardens along with pandas, herons, a pavillion and an arched bridge.

The video below explains how they are created.