The Most Fragile Art: Eggshell Painting

TO most people, an eggshell is something that gets tossed into the garbage can. But to Zhao Wei, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of eggshell painting, it provides a canvas on which to create mini-masterpieces. Over the years, with innovative ideas and exquisite craftsmanship, Zhao has resurrected the ancient art of eggshell painting and developed a growing following.

- DENG DI

Painted eggshells, or caidan, which literally means colored eggshells, are a traditional folk handicraft in Beijing. Folk artists use brushes, pens, knives or needles to draw, carve or sew all kinds of patterns on the outside of empty eggshells of chicken, ducks, geese, snakes, pigeons or ostriches.

The thin and delicate texture of eggshells adds to the difficulty of the craft and presents a unique fragile beauty to the finished product. Having devoted herself to this art for years, Zhao has become highly skilled at it. Now in her 60s, she is still striving to protect and promote the art through hands-on-instruction to her apprentices.

Ties with Eggshell Painting

Eggshell painting has a long history. According to Zhao, the art of making colored eggs dates back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), when ancient artisans painted boiled eggs and used them as ornaments on their desks. Eggshell painting developed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), as is recorded in Tang tombs. It later flourished in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when it was listed as one of the 72 professions, and artisans who mastered this craft were called “egg-painters.” In the 1970s, painted eggshells, as art products for export, still held an important position.

The origin of eggshell painting is inseparable from folk customs. In the eyes of ancient Chinese, eggs were a symbol of good luck and magical power. In the chapter Heavenly Questions of the ancient Chinese classic The Songs of Chu, it is believed that the ancestor of human beings was born from an egg. This primitive thinking initiated the use of eggs as a symbol of reproduction. By painting auspicious patterns on eggs, artists extol virtues or expressed their wishes.