漆 125890e
漆 125890e
漆 125890e
MONIKA KOPPLIN
UNESCO PUBLISHING
MEMORY OF PEOPLES
Lacquerware in Asia,
today and yesterday
UNESCO Publishing
ISBN 92-3-103808-7
UNESCO 2002
Printed in France
Foreword
renown.
techniques; they are the only ones who can hand down
Kochiro Matsuura
DIRECTOR - GENERAL OF UNESCO
Contents
Foreword 5
List of figures 9
List of contributors 17
Preface: Lacquerware in Asia: past and present Monika Kopplin 19
Lai Rod Nam: Thai gold-leaf lacquerware technique Sompong Saengaramroungroj 143
Glossary 204
Selected bibliography 222
Index 232
List of figures
1.
2.
3.
4.
Preparing cores or bodies: filling cracks in the wood with strips of paper or gauze. 26
5.
6.
Painted wicker basket from the Tomb of the Painted Basket in Lo-lang, northern Korea (replica).
22 39 18 cm. China (Sichuan), second century (Eastern Han dynasty). Stockholm,
Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. 30
7.
Dish with lobed edge in the shape of a mallow blossom, red lacquer. 2.8 18.5 cm diameter. China, Song dynasty
(9601279). Tokyo, Lee Collection. 31
8.
Audience scene, with river landscape in the background. Rectangular box, black lacquer with polychrome painting
surrounded by a gilt border and with basketry panels. 12 47.5 34.3 cm. China, c. 1600 (Ming dynasty).
San Francisco, Asian Art Museum. 32
9.
Tray, carved brown and red lacquer with guri pattern. China, Yuan dynasty (12711368).
Beijing, National Palace Museum. 33
10.
Landscape with pavilion and reception scene. Standing table screen (section), red carved lacquer. Height, 58.5 cm.
China, beginning of fifteenth century (Ming dynasty). Stuttgart, Linden-Museum. 34
11.
Peony, lotus and chrysanthemum sprays. Vase, carved red lacquer. Height, 15.5 cm. China, beginning of fifteenth century
(Ming dynasty). Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst. 36
12.
Camellia sprays. Dish (section), carved red lacquer. China, beginning of fifteenth century (Ming dynasty).
Beijing, National Palace Museum. 36
13.
Winged dragon against background of green waves, framed by six-petalled prunus border.
10
Octagonal container, carved red lacquer. 13.7 22.5 cm diameter. China, mid-sixteenth century (Ming dynasty).
Tokyo, Lee Collection. 38
14.
Scene in Imperial Palace with numerous figures. Coromandel screen (section). China, dated 1659 (Qing dynasty).
Washington, D.C., Freer Gallery of Art. 40
15.
Dragon and phoenix in ogival panel. Cabinet, filled and incised lacquer. 49 56.8 42 cm. China,
first half of fifteenth century (Ming dynasty). London, Victoria and Albert Museum. 41
16.
The palace of Hsi Wang-mu and the Eight Immortals. Octagonal container, black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays.
23.4 36 cm diameter. China, Yuan dynasty (12791368). Tokyo, Lee Collection. 43
17.
Flowering plum tree with crescent moon in night sky. Tray, black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays.
3.3 34.4 33.6 cm. China, fourteenth to fifteenth century (Yuan/early Ming dynasty). Mnster,
Museum fr Lackkunst. 43
18.
Terrace with the Eight Immortals. Screen from throne ensemble (detail of centre panel), black lacquer with mother-of-pearl
inlays and gold. 286 330 cm. China, c. 1670 (Qing dynasty). Berlin, Museum fr Ostasiatische Kunst. 44
19.
Rows of chrysanthemum leaves. Sutra box. Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl and silver-wire inlays. 25.4 47.6 25 cm.
Korea, twelfth/thirteenth century (Koryo dynasty). London, British Museum. 52
20.
Lotus scrolls. Box. Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 4.4 26.4 18.4 cm. Korea, sixteenth/seventeenth century
(Yi dynasty). Tokyo, National Museum. 53
21.
Lotus shoots. Document box. Red lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 7 37 25.5 cm. Korea, fifteenth/sixteenth century
(Yi dynasty). Hamburg, Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe. 53
22.
Landscape with crescent moon. Serving table (board). Red and black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 8 32 32 cm.
Japan, early seventeenth century (Edo period). Kamakura, Meigetsu-in. 54
23.
Lotus shoots. Box. Brown-black lacquer with crackled mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and twisted copper-wire inlays.
42 44.8 23.5 cm. Korea, eighteenth century (Yi dynasty). London, Victoria and Albert Museum. 54
24.
Vines. Clothes box (detail). Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 19 48 76.5 cm. Korea, nineteenth century
(Yi dynasty). Tokyo, National Museum. 55
25.
Phoenixes and lotus shoots. Cabinet (detail.) Brownish lacquer with sprinkled-in gold flakes together with sharkskin,
tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and brass wire inlays. 16 86 38.3 cm. Korea, nineteenth century (Yi dynasty).
Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst. 55
26.
Clothes box. Black lacquer with crackled mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and twisted silver inlays. 16.7 58.3 38.7 cm.
Korea, nineteenth century (Yi dynasty). Roger Weston Collection. 56
27.
Chson-ji, Hiraizumi. Interior view of the Konjiki-d temple hall. Gold-sprinkled design with mother-of-pearl inlays. 59
28.
Wheels turning in water (katawaguruma). Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer with gold- and aokin-sprinkled design with
mother-of-pearl inlays. 13 30.5 22.5 cm. Japan, twelfth century (Heian period). Tokyo, Bunkazai Hogo Iin-kai. 59
29.
Sparrows in the field. Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer with gold- and silver-sprinkled design. 18.5 42 28.5 cm.
Japan, twelfth century (Heian period). Osaka, Kong-ji. 60
30.
Plum trees and wild geese. Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer with gold-sprinkled design and silver inlays.
19.7 34.5 25.8 cm. Japan, fourteenth century (Kamakura period). Mishima-taisha, Shizuoka province. 61
31.
Round pattern (fusenry). Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer with gold-sprinkled design and mother-of-pearl inlays.
26.6 36 21.5 cm. Japan, mid-thirteenth century (Kamakura period). Tokyo, Suntory Museum of Art. 61
32.
Peony blossom. Incense box (kg), carved wood with black and red lacquer coating (Kamakura-bori).
3.5 7.5 cm diameter. Japan, fifteenth century (Muromachi period). Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst. 62
11
33.
Tray (bon), wood with black and red lacquer coating (Negoro-nuri). 43.1 cm diameter. Japan, 1298 (Kamakura period).
Tokyo, Gotoh Museum. 63
34.
Blossoming plum tree and moon. Desk (bundai), black lacquer with gold-sprinkled design. 10 60 35 cm.
Japan, fifteenth century (Muromachi period). Tokyo, National Museum. 64
35.
Autumn grasses and bamboo. Box for writing utensils (bunko), black lacquer with gold-sprinkled design.
26.7 50.3 31 cm. Japan, later half of sixteenth century (Momoyama period). Kyoto, Kdai-ji. 66
36.
Bridge over iris swamp (yatsuhashi). Writing box (suzuribako), black lacquer with gold-sprinkled design
and mother-of-pearl, silver and lead inlays. 14.4 19.9 27.3 cm. Japan, seventeenth century (Edo period).
Tokyo, National Museum. 68
37.
Peacocks in peony scrolls. Cylindrical container, black lacquer with inscribed design filled with gold (the open-work
bronze lid and handle on the side are a Japanese addition). 24.6 18.8 cm diameter. Ryukyu, sixteenth/seventeenth
century. London, British Museum. 72
38.
Birds in branches. Bowl, red lacquer with applied gold foil design. 8 12.6 cm diameter. Ryukyu, probably early sixteenth
century. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Art Collections at Schloss Ambras. 73
39.
Phoenix on blossoming peony branch. Paper box, red lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 9.5 28.5 39.5 cm.
Ryukyu, early seventeenth century. Cologne, Museum fr Ostasiatische Kunst. 74
40.
Chrysanthemum scrolls. Round container, red lacquer with coloured lacquer applications. 10 21.2 cm diameter.
Ryukyu, nineteenth century. Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst. 76
41.
Wooden bowl, red lacquer. China, Hemudu period, c. 4000 B.C. One of the earliest examples of lacquerware discovered
in China. Zhejiang Museum. 87
42.
Gold-plated wooden ladle. China, West Zhou dynasty, 1066771 B.C. Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences. 88
43.
Carved wooden container with stand. China, Warring States period, 403221 B.C. Hubei Museum. 89
44.
Carved wooden bowl or cup with stand and mandarin duck motif. China, Warring States period, 403221 B.C.
Jingzhou Museum. 89
45.
Carved table decoration. China, Warring States period, 403221 B.C. Hubei Museum. 89
46.
Wooden basin with phoenix and fish, and brown, red and black lacquer finish. China, Qin dynasty, 221206 B.C.
Yunmeng District Museum. 90
47.
Wooden ladle, red and black lacquer, 33 cm. China, Western Han period, 206 B.C.23 A.D. Jingzhou Museum. 90
48.
Wooden bowl with handles; fish motif, red and black lacquer. China, Western Han period, 206 B.C.23 A.D.
Jingzhou Museum. 91
49.
Wooden tortoise-shaped armour with sea-horse motif, red and black lacquer. China, Western Han period, 206 B.C.23 A.D.
Jingzhou Museum. 92
50.
Yi wine pot, c. 192030: height, 28.5 cm; diameter of body, 17 cm. Wooden core with black lacquer background:
a stylized petals in yellow and red lacquer decorate the front; b the back is painted in geometric diaper pattern. 98
51.
52.
Wide-stemmed wine cup, c. 194059: height, 7.5 cm; diameter of mouth, 9.5 cm. Wooden core, interior
decorated with yellow lacquer. Patterns of red and yellow circles are painted on an exterior background
of black lacquer. 99
53.
Wine cup with an eagle-claw base, c. 1940s50s: height, 18.5 cm; diameter of mouth, 10.3 cm. Leather core
with both interior and exterior painted black. The eagle claw symbolizes the power to drive away evil. 99
12
54.
Wine cup made from sheep horn, c. 1940: length, 26.5 cm. Horn core; the black lacquered exterior is decorated with leaf
patterns in red and yellow. 100
55.
Arrow case, c. 190050: length, 48.5 cm. Bamboo core with round pieces of fishbone inlaid on black lacquer
background. 100
56.
Leather bowl, c. 194059: height, 8 cm; diameter of mouth, 16 cm. Leather core with red interior. Black exterior with
dotted and geometric patterns. 100
57.
Gunpowder horn, c. 190050: height, 26 cm. Core made from both wood and leather. On the surface, patterns of petals
and curves in red and yellow painted over a black background. 100
58.
Leather armour, c. 190050: length, 67 cm. Leather core with black lacquered exterior, decorated with petals, dots and
geometric designs in red and yellow lacquer. 101
59.
Saddle, c. 190050: length, 42.5 cm; width, 28 cm; height, 26 cm. Wood core with black lacquer background and
decorative patterns of geometric shapes and curves painted over entire surface. 102
60.
61.
62.
66.
67.
68.
Lacquer spoon. 6.0 cm wide 22.3 cm long. Pyongyang, Lolang, Tomb of the Painted Basket, first to third century B.C.
The tip of the handle and the bowl of the spoon are coated with vermilion lacquer; brown lacquer exterior.
69.
109
Round lacquer ritual dish. 9.8 (upper diameter) 6.3 (lower diameter) 7.5 cm high. Taho-ri site, first century B.C.
This lacquered object was excavated from a pit tomb in the Taho-ri site in 1988. The wooden dish was made from a single
piece of wood. Lacquer is not applied on the base. The dish contained a type of fruit that has not been identified. 110
70.
Lacquer ritual dish. 13.7 10.3 cm (upper diameter), 7.9 12.5 cm (lower diameter). Taho-ri site, first century B.C.
National Museum of Korea, Seoul. Burial object discovered outside the wooden casket in a pit tomb. The dish surface is
rectangular and the side is an inverted trapezoid. The dish and stand were made separately. 110
71.
Square mother-of-pearl inlaid box. 31.3 cm long 31.3 cm wide 9.8 cm high. Mid-Choson period (seventeenth century).
The wooden lid is firmly attached by tin hinges. The top part of the cover is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlaid
chrysanthemum, peony and lotus flower patterns linked by arabesque scrolls, and the sides are decorated with mother-ofpearl inlaid plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo patterns, in that order. The layer of black lacquer is so thick that it
forms a plane with the fish skin glued to the surface of the box. 112
72.
Hahoe wooden mask. 21.9 cm 16.2 cm. Hahoe village in North Kyongsang province (Korea), late Koryo period,
thirteenth to fourteenth century. Alder wood mask, covered with paper and coated with lacquer. Most of the lacquer has
peeled off, except on the head and below the eyes, where black lacquer can be seen. 114
73.
74.
75.
Red-lacquered covered bowls and tray from the Edo period. 118
76.
77.
78.
Applying a strip of cloth to the edges of a wooden bowl with urushi. 121
13
150
14
174
15
17
List of contributors
18
Keiichi Shimaguchi Technical Officer, Wajima City Institute of Lacquer Ware, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
Sone Simatrang Silpakakon University, Bangkok, Thailand
An Sitha Professor, Faculty of Plastic Arts, Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Paik Syeung-gil Korean National Committee for the International Council of Museums
Tran Huy Quang Industrial Art College, Hanoi, Viet Nam
Chen Zhengyu Professor, Institute of Archeology of Hubei, Wuhan, China
19
Preface
Lacquerware in Asia: past and present
MONIKA KOPPLIN
quality to lacquerwork.
transparent.
around 40005000 B.C. discovered in Ch-chiang province is regarded as the oldest extant piece of lacquer-
20
LACQUERWARE
| PREFACE
with other precious materials: mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, stones and precious metals, to name but a few.
21
today, and there are even fewer people left who know
of art.
ture until just after the Second World War, but they have
written.
Preface
23
PART ONE
25
Lacquerware in Asia:
China, Korea, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands
MONIKA KOPPLIN
CHINA
white, milky sap. This rapidly changes colour on exposure to the air, turning dark brown, and then begins
teen and fifteen years old produce the best quality resin,
4000
B.C.1
ture is evaporated by gentle heating and continuous stirring, which also homogenizes the final product (Fig. 3).
the sap from the lacquer tree, which grows in the warm,
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26
1
2
27
28
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(221206
B.C.)
sands of years.
B.C.
specialized workers:
29
centuries
names in China.
B.C.,
tions complemented luminous red on the interior secLacquer was applied until the late Chan-kuo period over
(Sherman Lee).
thus produced was lifted off the model and sent to lacquerworkers and painters for further treatment. An
30
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6
6. Painted wicker basket from the Tomb of the Painted Basket
in Lo-lang, northern Korea (replica). 22 39 18 cm.
powder.9
centuries.
31
ate an air of aristocratic elegance and restrained sophistication. The uncompromising monochrome (Regina
Krahl) and the silky gloss finish so pleasant to touch
express the ideal aesthetic of the Sung, who cultivated
the calm beauty of lacquer in its essence (Fig. 7). A reverence for the absolute combined with perfect understatement corresponds to what has come down to us
through the Ching pi-tsang (Collection of Artistic
Rarities), in which it is related that certain lacquer items
for the Sung palace were produced with a gold or silver
core. The core was invisible, but knowing that it was
porcelain.11
fabulous animals and complete landscapes. Box lids generally showed reception ceremonies, courtly scenes and
historic episodes with many figures, often framed in
edges.12
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32
8
8. Audience scene, with river landscape in the background.
Rectangular box, black lacquer with polychrome painting surrounded
Carved lacquer
33
Another outstanding feature of guri work was the twotone or multi-coloured layering of lacquer coating. The
layers of colour were applied so that each individual
colour comprised many different numbers of individual
coats, usually in a recurrent pattern of red and black,
sometimes red and green or ochre. The top layer generally set the tone and determined whether the intermediate layers would be less or more dominant, and whether
black or red guri lacquer was to be the final product. The
carving knife was held at an angle to carve the individual motifs in V-shaped cuts, producing a lively contrast
guri lacquer. During the Yuan and Ming periods, the lac-
carving knife.17
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34
10
35
time, that of the Yuan period. In the Yuan and early Ming
versa), which warned the carver that his blade had pen-
waves made up of counteracting curves. Air was symbolized by a rather complex pattern of horizontally lay-
36
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12
37
framing of individual decorative depictions with medallions or curving panels represented a continuation of the
Coromandel lacquer
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38
13
1748.25
documented in
39
Europe.
querwork. The latter appears for the first time at the end
ing plate. . . . The colours are then filled in. This is how
areas and filled with thin gold or silver plate were also
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40
14
14. Scene in Imperial Palace with numerous figures.
Coromandel screen (section). China, dated 1659 (Qing dynasty).
period.30
Its effect
inlays in tortoiseshell.
41
landscapes, figurative and historic scenes, flowers, buildings are filled with Korean (Silla) lacquer, which for
gold plating was mixed with sublimed sulphur and for
silver plating with shao powder. The cut-out gold foil
which sticks to the lacquer is wiped firm with cotton
wool.31
The chiang-chin (decorated with gold) technique
reached a high level during the Yuan period, which is
demonstrated by a series of nine Sutra boxes that have
been in the possession of Japanese collections and temthem to 1315.32 The black-gold chiang-chin lacquerware
15
15. Dragon and phoenix in ogival panel. Cabinet, filled and incised
lacquer. 49 56.8 42 cm. China, first half of fifteenth century (Ming
soil and greatly influenced the development of an individual local style. While chiang-chin decorations developed and continued to the present day in Japan and the
London (Fig. 15), reached its peak only during the six-
hardened.33
the markings.
copies.
42
Mother-of-pearl lacquer
of incrustations on fragrant sandalwood. The craftsmanship and the refined, luxurious taste expressed in such
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walls.34
the 300-year Ming period into the Ching era. The thick
lacquer.
incrusted container
43
The mother-of-pearl lacquer of the Ming period continued the style developed under the Mongol emperors.
16
17
17. Flowering plum tree with crescent moon in night sky. Tray, black
lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 3.3 34.4 33.6 cm. China,
fourteenth to fifteenth century (Yuan/early Ming dynasty). Mnster,
Museum fr Lackkunst.
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44
18
18. Terrace with the Eight Immortals. Screen from throne ensemble
(detail of centre panel), black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays and
gold. 286 330 cm. China, c. 1670 (Qing dynasty). Berlin, Museum fr
Ostasiatische Kunst.
the world and facial features for the figures. The use of
very thin gold and silver foil made the rich scenes
45
exotic decoration.
Chiang Chien-li.
Nouveaux mmoires sur ltat prsent de la Chine published in 1696 by Louis le Comte, and the famous
business.42
The
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46
tion, thin coats dry in around four to five days at an air tem-
1988.
3.
4.
5.
Marquis of Zeng], item No. 11, 1988, pp. 268; Hu-ph chu-tu
1859/1860,44
but also
Notes
1.
der Mitte 5000 v. Chr.220 n. Chr. [The old China. People and
2.
6.
7.
8.
illus.
9.
11.
12.
loquy held 2224 June 1981, pp. 117, London, 1982 (Percival
13.
quer art on the Ryukyu Islands have made possible more cer-
14.
15.
16.
the Ming dynasty, see Sir Harry Garner, Guri lacquer of the
10.
17.
47
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48
25.
pp. 2379.
26.
18.
talis: The Arts of Islam and the East (Washington, D.C.), Vol. 6,
19.
Heidelberg, 1990/91.
27.
London, 1971.
20.
Han Palace) from the Kang-hsi era, Ching dynasty, and the
No. 8, 1967, pp. 2259; John Figgess, Ming and pre-Ming lac-
28.
21.
29.
holm), No. 22, 1950, pp. 14567, pl. 130; Jan Wirgin, An
30.
31.
32.
pl. 18.
22.
33.
holm), No. 24, 1952, pp. 2749, pl. 156; Jean-Pierre Dubosc,
34.
23.
London, 1992.
pl. 130.
24.
35.
49
KOREA
36.
37.
Kong, 1993.
38.
period are depicted in Lee, op. cit., Nos. 86, 87, 88; and in
39.
40.
41.
from gold foil; these were then attached with nails and
42.
43.
pp. 10012.
44.
pp. 1734.
beakers, bottles, ladles and combs, the variety of lacquered items also widened to include riding saddles,
masks and scholarly equipment as well as sarcophagi
and burial gifts. The importance of lacquer craftsmanship and production is shown by the Samguk-sagi
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50
the Silla kings until the early tenth century, found over a
and soy bean oil gave the surface tenacity and the
ods. The high regard that this type of art elicits even
Kaya,3
by the state.
treasury of Shs-in at Nara, Japan, since the eighth century and which has traditionally been assumed to be
Chinese.4
The high esteem for the excellent najon work from the
Tang
51
(112346).10
esteem.11
Commenting on the
quered and artistically adorned saddles with mother-ofpearl inlays used by the royal cavalry. A description of
Chings impressions.
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52
19
19. Rows of chrysanthemum leaves. Sutra box. Black lacquer
with mother-of-pearl and silver-wire inlays. 25.4 47.6 25 cm.
design.13
leaves and blossoms, created with blue-green-pink iridescent, sometimes finely engraved awabi mother-of-
53
which was probably due to the close relations maintained by the Koryo dynasty and the Mongolian court.15
The predominantly red-coloured writing box with reinforced corners so typical of Korean lacquerwork, now
54
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22. Landscape with crescent moon. Serving table (board). Red and
black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlays. 8 32 32 cm. Japan,
early seventeenth century (Edo period). Kamakura, Meigetsu-in.
23. Lotus shoots. Box. Brown-black lacquer with crackled motherof-pearl, tortoiseshell and twisted copper-wire inlays.
42 44.8 23.5 cm. Korea, eighteenth century (Yi dynasty). London,
Victoria and Albert Museum.
55
singing nightingale in a plum tree or the four noble elements: plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums and
bamboo.
Production in the nineteenth century covered a wide
range of applications and styles. Boxes and lacquer furniture were produced with the traditional technique of
inlaid mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and the skins of
dogfish and rays18 which developed a polychrome effect
(Fig. 25) through colourful painting or dyeing on the
bottom as well as with flakes of gold sprinkled into the
lacquer base after Japanese models. Another style also
evolved that may be regarded as folk art. The scenes portrayed, mainly of landscapes populated by various large
and small animals, apparently clumsily pieced together,
express a naive originality which gives these folk works
an individual although rather moody charm. These
works were created simultaneously with another style,
in which the pale sheen of the mother-of-pearl became
increasingly aesthetically independent. This tendency
developed to such an extent that mother-of-pearl displaced the lacquer in cut-out reservations and narrow
zones along the edges, and in some pieces even replaced
it entirely. When discussing these items, one is tempted
to speak rather of lacquer inlays in mother-of-pearl
25
bases. Moreover, the intended contrast between the restless warigai structure split into thousands of branches
with the clear shapes of the boxes and the black elegant
proportions of the lacquer coatings appears surprisingly
modern (Fig. 26).
56
able in German: Beatrix von Ragu, Zur Quellenkunde koranischer Lacke mit Perlmutt-Einlagen, Oriens Extremus, Zeitschrift fr Sprache, Kunst und Kultur der Lnder des Fernen Ostens
(Hamburg), No. 8, 1961, pp. 24751).
7.
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26
Notes
1.
2.
Urushi Study Group, June 1027, 1985, Tokyo, pp. 516, Marina
3.
9.
4.
Art, 6.)
10.
5.
11.
6.
12.
13.
Kenky (Tokyo), No. 175, 1954, pp. 424 (this article is avail-
14.
57
widely held belief that the lacquer tree (urushi no ki) was
15.
16.
17.
hand, many finds from the late Jmon period in east and
18.
pp. 358.
JAPAN
But it was the introduction of Buddhism, so important to
As is the case in China and Korea, the production and
for the first time in the 1930s in the north of the largest
58
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making sure that each item was marked with the full
59
this period. Lacquer decorations as architectural adornments have survived in the Konjiki-d temple hall of
Chson-ji (Hiraizumi), built from 1124 to 1126, where
a brilliant treasure of encrusted mother-of-pearl may be
5
lacquer.4
lid offset from the dust ledge and the softly outward-
suspended.
28
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60
29
29. Sparrows in the field. Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer with
gold- and silver-sprinkled design. 18.5 42 28.5 cm.
61
tree and wild goose motif, which is also the first time the
raised lacquer technique was used (Fig. 30).
The increasing refinement and differentiation in sprinkling techniques, facilitated by the development of more
regular and finer-grained qualities of gold dust, provided
the artists with an entire range of modified tools of
expression. The soft flow of the smoothly polished togidashi and the flat and raised sprinkled pictures were
combined to create lively contrasts. The hiramaki-e
method, the flat sprinkled picture, uses the technique
of sprinkling metal powder into a lacquer drawing,
ceptible to the touch. Takamaki-e, the raised sprinkled
picture, clearly rises from the lacquer base in varying
degrees. Usually, a modelling mixture made from raw
lacquer and coal, silver, tin or clay dust was used.
Takamaki-e did not develop during the Kamakura period
by chance. A desire for realistic artistic depictions,
which also applied to lacquer art, arose during a period
in which Japanese sculpture attained a power of expression, dynamism and succinct realism that has never been
equalled since. Although the surface of the lacquerwork
was frequently clearly structured, the style preferred
31
30. Plum trees and wild geese. Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer
with gold-sprinkled design and silver inlays. 19.7 34.5 25.8 cm.
Japan, fourteenth century (Kamakura period). Mishima-taisha,
Shizuoka province.
31. Round pattern (fusenry). Toiletry box (tebako), black lacquer
with gold-sprinkled design and mother-of-pearl inlays.
26.6 36 21.5 cm. Japan, mid-thirteenth century (Kamakura
period). Tokyo, Suntory Museum of Art.
only for the background, but also and for the first time
30
62
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
32. Peony blossom. Incense box (kg), carved wood with black and
red lacquer coating (Kamakura-bori). 3.5 7.5 cm diameter.
Japan, fifteenth century (Muromachi period). Mnster, Museum
fr Lackkunst.
monies.7
education.8
teenth century.
wealth and
63
style.
their daily use possesses its own distinct style and has
borne the name of the famous temple since the Edo
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
64
34
34. Blossoming plum tree and moon. Desk (bundai), black lacquer
with gold-sprinkled design. 10 60 35 cm.
the Yuan and Ming periods, is the desk with plum blos-
ment each other on the flat lids. The effects are created
tant
lacquerwork
was
developed,
namely
the
65
that the Japanese had until then not known and which
certain precise mother-of-pearl techniques and decorations. This is demonstrated particularly by the inlays,
Namban lacquer is the term used for all the work created
Japanese island of
Kysh.15
66
35
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
35. Autumn grasses and bamboo. Box for writing utensils (bunko),
67
into consideration even the finest details and particularly the radiant wealth of gold-sprinkled lacquerwork,
not only to Edo as the seat of the shogun, but also to the
clients.20
Gifu.21
boldly simple designs. The technical innovation of combining a precious gold background with the dull grey of
wide belt (obi) was the only way to carry essential items.
68
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
quer items from this period thus used episodes of his life
also the fact that the West had already started to take an
Genji narrative.
declared:
It has been said and rightly so, that lacquer is the most perfect
finest. Japans fame is based on this art, and it has been for
lacquers23
centuries.26
69
Notes
11.
12.
13.
June 1027, 1985, Tokyo, pp. 4550, Marina del Rey, Getty
2.
14.
Art, 4).
Museum (Tokyo), No. 360 (3), 1981, pp. 421; No. 366 (9),
3.
15.
4.
No. 11).
5.
16.
6.
7.
8.
ten sowie Arbeiten aus Europa, Thailand und Indien, Katalog der
9.
pp. 39.
10.
17.
1.
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
70
Eastern Series).
23.
24.
Kyoto, 1982.
25.
26.
Paris, 1883: On a dit avec raison que les laques taient les
hommes; ils sont tout au moins les plus dlicats. Leur fabri-
18.
tera [Collection of Kodai-ji Zen Temple (exhibition catalogue)], Kyoto, Shhzan Kdai-ji, 1995.
19.
No. 419 (2), 1986, pp. 1928; No. 420 (3), 1986, pp. 1727;
20.
21.
22.
71
museums.6
Second World War. Not only did most of the art trea-
a gift from the Chzan ruler in 1458. Korean ambassadors reported lacquerwork adorned with gold from the
The fact that the islands are situated at the edge of the
as they stand out from the dark green, red or black lac-
72
At the same time, not only does the precision of craftsmanship appear to have declined since the sixteenth
century, but an increasing thinning and standardization
of patterns also seems to have occurred. Moreover, oil
paints (Japanese mitsuda-e) with lacquer as well as lead
monoxide were used alongside the technique of
inscribed gold decoration. Added to the pigments in
powdered form as a siccative, lead monoxide allowed
work to be speeded up, while the use of oil as a binding
agent provided a wider range of colours than that offered
by pure lacquer materials. The combination of filigree
gold patterns running around the sides of vessels and
containers, usually on cinnabar bases with embedded
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
37
Ryukyu Islands.
methods of filled and engraved lacquer (Chinese tienchi) in the fifteenth century, and became highly popular
technique remains in use today and appears to have followed a tradition that has remained unbroken on
73
predefined designs into which the inner lines were subsequently inscribed. This procedure, whose deep lustre
brings to mind the kinrande (gold-brocade) porcelains of
the Chia-ching period (152266) that were popular with
the Japanese, was perhaps inspired by South-East Asian
38. Birds in branches. Bowl, red lacquer with applied gold foil design.
8 12.6 cm diameter. Ryukyu, probably early sixteenth century.
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Art Collections at Schloss
Ambras.
leaf-work).9
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
74
39
(Fig. 40).
39. Phoenix on blossoming peony branch. Paper box, red lacquer with
mother-of-pearl inlays. 9.5 28.5 39.5 cm. Ryukyu, early
seventeenth century. Cologne, Museum fr Ostasiatische Kunst.
design is coated with thin polychromatic layers of lacquer only after application. The extreme humidity of the
climate on the island also helps the mass production of
75
76
LACQUERWARE
| MONIKA KOPPLIN
40
40. Chrysanthemum scrolls. Round container, red lacquer with
coloured lacquer applications. 10 21.2 cm diameter.
Ryukyu, nineteenth century. Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst.
Take hoggs blood and keep it kneading with fresh Straw till it
dered and force all through a fine Cloth Seive and thus you will
have a very fine past called Sinchea. Lay this thin mixture on
14
The black
77
Notes
ever produced here. On most of the Ryukyu carved lacquerwork, the background patterns appear to have been inscribed
No. 1). Garner also deals extensively with the importance and
2.
3.
9.
1975.
10.
catalogue).
4.
called tui-tsai.
11.
5.
12.
alogue).
6.
iiiv.
13.
(exhibition catalogue).
7.
8.
from China, Korea, Japan and the Ryukyu Islands], Kunst und
14.
MS. 56, p. 83 ff. The recipe and work instructions are widely
1.
78
1937, p. 215.
79
Asian lacquerware:
maintaining the tradition
KAZUSHIGE KANEKO
putes, ideologically oriented communist regimes, religious conflicts, and the headlong rush into urban and
1997, brought together both academic experts and traditional lacquer craftworkers for the first time to compare
80
LACQUERWARE
| KAZUSHIGE KANEKO
to happen.
trial plants. There are also growing signs that the preoc-
on these traditions.
good.
81
cult to ascertain.
coveries have made it clear that highly sophisticated lacquered techniques were already well-developed at this
future research.
82
LACQUERWARE
| KAZUSHIGE KANEKO
MAKING LACQUERWARE
have shown that synthetic varnishes are much more brittle than natural lacquer and will often peel, crack and
AWARENESS
83
85
PART TWO
87
present day.
41. Wooden bowl, red lacquer. China, Hemudu period, c. 4000 B.C.
One of the earliest examples of lacquerware discovered in China.
Zhejiang Museum.
88
B.C.)
dynasties, the types and quantities of lacquerware increased. In addition to wooden and clay bodies, copper
bodies were introduced. An entirely new technique was
added, that of lacquer carving. The decorative designs
continued to be painted on with various colours, but
inlay techniques were also developed to include various
types of beautiful designs with inlaid turquoise, mussel
shells, animal teeth, tortoiseshell and flakes of precious
LACQUERWARE
| CHEN ZHENGYU
or semi-precious stones.
During the Western Zhou dynasty (end of eleventh century to 711 B.C.) and the Spring and Autumn period, lacquerware techniques multiplied (Fig. 42). Five kinds of
bodies were now used: wood, bamboo, clay, copper and
stone. The wooden-body lacquer-making technique remained virtually the same as during the Xia and Shang
dynasties, but became more sophisticated. Wooden-body
lacquerware still showed the painting techniques inher-
42
42. Gold-plated wooden ladle. China, West Zhou dynasty, 1066771 B.C.
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
popular.
43
43. Carved wooden container with stand. China, Warring States
period, 403221 B.C. Hubei Museum.
44. Carved wooden bowl or cup with stand and mandarin duck motif.
China, Warring States period, 403221 B.C. Jingzhou Museum.
45. Carved table decoration. China, Warring States period,
403221 B.C. Hubei Museum.
44
45
89
90
LACQUERWARE
| CHEN ZHENGYU
during the Warring States period, but turning techniques were more extensively used. During the Western
Han dynasty a new, faster, spinning technique developed, which not only increased productivity, but also
made the products thinner and more elegant. The vessel
model and decorative design during the Qin and
Western Han dynasties were virtually the same as during
the Warring States period, but the new techniques of
needle-painting (a scratching technique), gold-plating,
layers of paint, glueing silver foil and inlaying (with gold
and silver pieces, agate, hawksbill turtle shells, mica and
jade pieces) were adopted during the Western Han
dynasty, with the result that designs and patterns on the
47
ware from this period are much brighter and more aesthetically pleasing (Figs. 4649).
Lacquerware craftsmanship and production declined
sharply during the Eastern Han (A.D. 25220), Wei and
Jin dynasties as a result of social chaos and the rise of
porcelain as an art. Very few of the brick tombs from this
period have survived, with a concomitant reduction in
46. Wooden basin with phoenix and fish, and brown, red and black
lacquer finish. China, Qin dynasty, 221206 B.C. Yunmeng District
Museum.
47. Wooden ladle, red and black lacquer, 33 cm. China, Western Han
period, 206 B.C.23 A.D. Jingzhou Museum.
48. Wooden bowl with handles; fish motif, red and black lacquer.
China, Western Han period, 206 B.C.23 A.D. Jingzhou Museum.
91
48
LACQUERWARE
| CHEN ZHENGYU
92
49
Jingzhou Museum.
93
PRESENT-DAY LACQUERWARE
PRODUCTION IN CHINA
ous process from the late Qing dynasty until 1940. But
beyond description.
arranged in different workshops according to the product or production process. Every factory has a section to
production methods.
in other countries.
94
colouring
differ accordingly.
among
thirteen
key
manufacturers.
LACQUERWARE
| CHEN ZHENGYU
tracing
techniques,
including
thread-tracing,
flat-
95
stones as a supplement.
with shell and with gold and silver pieces. This process
Government.
97
the Yi nationality.
98
YI LACQUERWARE
A large proportion of traditional Yi lacquerware production includes cooking utensils, wine vessels, weapons
and riding equipment. These objects were always considered to be for everyday use rather than handcrafted
articles for aesthetic enjoyment. We here briefly describe
nine selected objects that were initially displayed in the
Liangshan prefecture collection during the 1950s but
have since been moved to the Ethnic Museum of
Southwest Nationalities College.
The Yi people in Liangshan have created an ingenious
type of wine vessel, or pot (Figs. 50a and b). The pot is
first turned upside down and the wine is poured in from
LACQUERWARE
| ZHANG JIANSHI
50. Yi wine pot, c. 192030: height, 28.5 cm; diameter of body, 17 cm.
Wooden core with black lacquer background: a stylized petals in
yellow and red lacquer decorate the front; b the back is painted in
geometric diaper pattern.
51. Cross-section of a Yi wine pot.
50b
51
99
52
(Fig. 59), except in a few remote places in the mountains, as car and train travel has of course replaced
horseback. Few saddles and stirrups are manufactured
today.
LACQUERWARE TECHNIQUES
Painting is the most common method of decorating lacquerware. The less popular technique of inlaying is carried out as follows: a primer mixture of slaked lime and
tung oil is first applied to the object, and a layer of lacquer is applied to the core with a brush. When this layer
is almost dry, fragments of fishbone are inlaid on to the
primer. Then lacquer is applied in one or several layers,
depending on the thickness of the inlaid fragments: the
thinner the pieces, the fewer the layers. Finally, the lac-
53
53. Wine cup with an eagle-claw base, c. 1940s50s: height, 18.5 cm;
diameter of mouth, 10.3 cm. Leather core with both interior and
exterior painted black. The eagle claw symbolizes the power to drive
away evil.
| ZHANG JIANSHI
100
LACQUERWARE
54
55
54. Wine cup made from sheep horn, c. 1940: length, 26.5 cm. Horn
core; the black lacquered exterior is decorated with leaf patterns in
red and yellow.
55. Arrow case, c. 190050: length, 48.5 cm. Bamboo core with round
pieces of fishbone inlaid on black lacquer background.
56
57
101
58
LACQUERWARE
| ZHANG JIANSHI
102
59
59. Saddle, c. 190050: length, 42.5 cm; width, 28 cm; height, 26 cm.
Wood core with black lacquer background and decorative patterns of
9. chicken eyes; 10. fish eyes; 11. cattle eyes; 12. cocks-
19. flower bud; 20. flower; 21. steel flints; 22. gold
interpretation do exist throughout Liangshan, and sometimes the same pattern is even interpreted in several dif-
choose the patterns to which they are accustomed, certain recognizable patterns prevail in the various parts of
103
Pumpkin seeds
Brake leaves
Cloud
Garlic clove
Water waves
Eggplant
Worms
Flower buds
Intestines
Flowers
Snakes
Flint steel
Chicken eyes
Gold chain
Fish eyes
Fishnet
Nails
Eyes of cattle
Cockscombs
Horns of baffalo
Centre
Horse teeth
60
104
61
LACQUERWARE
| ZHANG JIANSHI
62
63
105
66
64
67
65
106
ready to be decorated.
LACQUERWARE
| ZHANG JIANSHI
protect the secrets of their trade, the clan kept and trans-
non-saline.
The horns of cows and oxen, yak, buffalo and sheep may
also be used as cores. First they are soaked in water and
are applied.
107
mote and develop their lacquering art which, as a treasure of humanity, is endowed with unique cultural sig-
nificance.
109
Lacquerware in Korea
PAIK SYEUNG-GIL
A BRIEF HISTORY
From prehistoric times, in the North-East Asian countries of China, Korea and Japan, what is now known as
lacquerware referred to objects produced by coating a
core material with urushiol (from the Japanese term
urushi, lacquer) in order to protect or decorate the core.
However, the traditional method of obtaining urushiol is
so cumbersome today and its price is so high that it has
been replaced by less expensive modern alternatives
such as polyurethane.
Lacquerware, often inlaid with mother-of-pearl or decorated with ox horn, holds a unique position in the history of Korean woodcrafts. Many elaborate pieces of lacquerware attributed to Han China have been unearthed
at Lolang, an area of Han Chinese influence in northern
Korea, near Pyongyang (Fig. 68). Lacquerware produc-
68
68. Lacquer spoon. 6.0 cm wide 22.3 cm long. Pyongyang,
Lolang, Tomb of the Painted Basket, first to third century B.C.
National Museum of Korea, Seoul. The tip of the handle and the
bowl of the spoon are coated with vermilion lacquer; brown lacquer
exterior.
110
A.D.
LACQUERWARE
| PAIK SYEUNG-GIL
69
excavated from a pit tomb in the Taho-ri site in 1988. The wooden dish
was made from a single piece of wood. Lacquer is not applied on the
base. The dish contained a type of fruit that has not been identified.
lacquerware
inlaid
with
mother-of-pearl
designs, and judging from the fact that the Silla kingdom
70
maintained close relations with Tang China, mother-ofpearl inlaid lacquerware must also have been manufactured in Silla. A bronze mirror decorated with motherof-pearl that was allegedly discovered in a Silla tomb is
perhaps the oldest artefact of its kind in Korea.
70. Lacquer ritual dish. 13.7 10.3 cm (upper diameter), 7.9 12.5 cm
(lower diameter). Taho-ri site, first century B.C. National Museum of
Korea, Seoul. Burial object discovered outside the wooden casket in a
pit tomb. The dish surface is rectangular and the side is an inverted
trapezoid. The dish and stand were made separately.
111
rosary case, tin and bronze wires were used for the stems
for the flowers and leaves; the tortoise design being red
inlaid with mother-of-pearl, employing painters, carpenters, lacquering artists, inlaying artisans and polishers.
from the fact that both the lacquer and celadon ware of
These boxes were made by order of the king for the safe-
three categories:
designs;
Lacquerware in Korea
112
LACQUERWARE
| PAIK SYEUNG-GIL
rial so that the pictures could be seen through the material when inlaid on lacquerware. To prepare the material,
the horns of young oxen are dipped into boiling water to
remove the cartilage and they are then sliced into thin,
113
1.
2.
grain or colours;
3.
4.
6.
layer, to be polished;
both male and female zygotes and one that is either male
7.
layer, to be polished;
8.
9.
three stages: the sap collected during the first five sap
Lacquerware in Korea
5.
114
TRANSMISSION OF TRADITIONAL
TECHNIQUES
With the demise of the Choson dynasty in 1910, Korean
craftsmen began to adopt the various Japanese techniques that they learned either in Japanese colleges or
during the Japanese presence in Korea. There are still
those who disapprove of Japanese-style Korean lacquer-
LACQUERWARE
| PAIK SYEUNG-GIL
72. Hahoe wooden mask. 21.9 cm 16.2 cm. Hahoe village in North
Kyongsang province (Korea), late Koryo period, thirteenth to
fourteenth century. National Treasure No. 121. Alder wood mask,
covered with paper and coated with lacquer. Most of the lacquer has
peeled off, except on the head and below the eyes, where black
lacquer can be seen.
birch family, was used for the late Koryo mask in the
115
PROMOTION OF PRODUCTION
workers.
for the ritual vessels, which are used for sacrificial rites
Lacquerware in Korea
116
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Archaeological reports
Monographs
Choe Sun-u; Chong Yang-mo. Mokchil kongye [Wooden lacquer craft]. Vol. 13, Hanguk Misul chonjip [Compendium
of Korean art]. 1974.
Choe Sun-u; Pak Yong-gyu. Hanguk-ui Mokchil Kagu [Korean
lacquer furniture]. 1981.
Kim Chong-tae. Otchil kongye lul wihan otnamu chaebae mit
chongje [Cultivation of lacquer tree and refining of lacquer for the development of lacquer crafts]. 1991.
Kim Won-yong. Hanguk misulsa [History of Korean art]. 1968.
Kwak Tae-ung. Koryo najon chilgi yongu [A study of the lacquerware of Koryo]. 1984.
Maeng In-jae. Hanguk-ui minsok kongye [The folk crafts of
Korea]. 1979.
Koguryo-ui yonghyang [The Koguryo influence on lacquer painting of Old Silla]. Kogo misul [Archaeology and
Art], Nos. 1234, 1974.
Chong Yang-mo et al. Choson chil-ui han tukching-e kwanhayo [On the characteristics of Korean lacquer]. Kogo
Misul [Archaeology and Art], Nos. 1434, 1979.
Im Yong-jin. Lacquer ware unearthed from a Paekche tomb in
Sokchon-ni. Kogo Misul [Archaeology and Art], No. 179,
1988.
Im Yong-ju. Hanguk kongye misul: wonsi kongye [Korean
craft arts: the primitive crafts]. Tijain pojang [Design and
Packaging], No. 34, 1977.
Kim Chi-jol. Tongyong-ui najon chilgi [Mother-of-pearl
inlaid lacquerware of Tongyong]. Shindonga Magazine,
March 1964.
Kim Song-su. Mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquerware: The chic of
Korea. Hyondae Yesul [Modern Art], No. 2, 1977.
Pak Hyong-chol. Hanguk hyondae mokchil kongye-ron
[Modern Korean wooden lacquerware]. Konggan [Space],
No. 110, 1976.
Ye Yong-hae. Najon Chilgi [Mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquerware]. Munhwajae [Cultural Heritage], No. 2, 1969.
Yi Kon-mu. Taho-ri yujok palgul chosa kaebo [Summary of the
report on the excavation of Taho-ri sites]. Pangmulgwan
shinmun [Museum Newspaper], No. 202, 1988.
Catalogues
2,000 Years of Korean Lacquer Ware. National Folklore Museum,
1989.
Grand Exhibition of Early Choson National Treasures. Ho Am Art
Museum, 1996.
Grand Exhibition of Koryo National Treasures. Ho Am Art
Essays
Museum, 1995.
Lacquer Ware and Ox Horn Decorated Wood Works. Ehwa
117
INTRODUCTION
industry.
HISTORY OF WAJIMA-NURI
The origin of Wajima-nuri is not certain, but the oldest
item of Wajima lacquerware, a red-lacquered door
(Fig. 74), is kept in Jz-no-miya Palace (Wajima City
73
118
| KEIICHI SHIMAGUCHI
century) lacquering techniques had already been developed very similar to those used today to produce
Wajima-nuri ware. In the middle of the Edo period (eighteenth century) Wajima-nuri found new markets all over
Japan, and Wajima became a centre for the production of
LACQUERWARE
75. Red-lacquered covered bowls and tray from the Edo period.
119
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
and are remarkably intact. They are still fit to hold sake
(Fig. 76).
Shwa 52 (1977), Wajima was designated as an Importhe many lacquerware production centres. Wajima-nuri
occupies a significant position in the history of Japanese
crafts, thanks to its recognizable local characteristics and
its high artistic value.
MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The manufacturing process of Wajima-nuri can be
broken down into roughly three phases: body production, lacquering and decoration. Each process can be
76
niques. Wajima-nuri requires nearly two years to complete, from the bare wooden material to the finished
object.
120
Uwanuri
Konakanuri
Nakanuri
Sabenji
Nihenji
Iipenji
Soumiji
Nunokise
Kijigatame
Kokuso
LACQUERWARE
| KEIICHI SHIMAGUCHI
77
77. Sectional diagram of Wajima-nuri coatings.
engravings.
earth (keis-do), raw urushi and rice starch. First, a mixture containing rough particles is applied, then one con-
not visible and are scarcely even imaginable, but they are
of Wajima-nuri ware.
80
78
81
78. Applying a strip of cloth to the edges of a wooden bowl with
urushi.
79. Lacquering the inside of clay bowls.
80. Chinkin process: engraving a design on the lacquered surface.
81. Chinkin lacquerware.
79
121
122
82
84
83
8284. Maki-e lacquerware.
123
and Osaka. It is surrounded by heavily forested mountains with peaks that rise to over 3,000 m, and is thus
124
with ABS resins and are made from plastic or wood chips
nish.
LACQUERWARE
| ARIHIKO NATSUME
painted lacquer pieces 9.5 per cent; and other miscellaneous products account for the remaining 5.1 per cent of
And the figures are eloquent: very few young people are
sales.
accounting for 30.5 per cent of the total. The next most
popular material is boxwood (tsuge) at 23.8 per cent,
gen, rubber and water, and apparently an enzyme (laccase) responsible for the drying and hardening properties of lacquer. Biochemists have not yet been able to
synthesize this enzyme. Consequently, even if synthetic
varnishes with chemical compositions identical to natural varnish could be produced, they would not be able
125
to the early Jomon period (450250 B.C.). Highly elaborate lacquered clay vessels and lacquered bamboo uten-
sils dating from the late Jomon period have been discov-
even today.
such as Persia. In mida-e the design is made from pigment to which heated lead monoxide and perilla oil have
oil painting.
DESIGN PROCESS
126
processing plant.
LACQUERWARE
| ARIHIKO NATSUME
lathe, after which the cut ends are covered with paper to
prevent cracking. The block is then placed in an airtight
LACQUER UNDERCOATING
final step.
127
oxidizing it.
TOP COATING
horn.
129
Ryukyu lacquerware
MAEDA KOUIN
The famous temple bell that was cast in 1458 and placed
the world. Our nation has thus been filled with rare
The turban shells found here possess qualities of beautiful brightness and solid hardness that caused them to be
quantities.
130
ing off the inner film-like layers, and then applying pul-
LACQUERWARE
| MAEDA KOUIN
verized shell (mijingai-nuri) and simultaneously grindThe production of lacquerware had already begun
during
trade.
the
prosperous
era
of
overseas
export goods.
The technique of hakue entails painting a design in lacEarly Ryukyu lacquerware of the fifteenth and sixteenth
cinnabar red.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, following the invasion of Okinawa by Satsuma in 1609,
Table 1. Synopsis and comparison of Ryukuan and Japanese lacquer, 1400 to present
131
Ryukyu lacquerware
132
Year
Lacquer
factories
Workers
Lacquer production
in million yen
1975
27
567
1,035
1985
12
197
590
1994
109
563
patterns are cut using a knife. These are stuck to the lac-
Japanese lacquerware).
lacquerwork.
133
years ago, or perhaps even longer, but the origins of lacquerware in China are indeed legendary. The Chinese
introduced lacquerware techniques to craftsmen in other
Asian nations, each of which developed its own regional
designs. Further techniques developed locally, producing the unique characteristics of lacquerware found
artwork is created.
134
the Thai have developed the design and advanced techniques of this art to the point it has reached today.
Lacquerware is now produced throughout Thailand.
Many different techniques are utilized in designing furniture and decorating everyday utensils. Some examples
of everyday lacquered objects are khan dok mai (containers for fresh flowers) and oah water bowls, lacquered
in the traditional manner. Other useful objects include
chian mak betel-nut containers, which are boxes designed with many small compartments so that different
types of herb or other product can be conveniently
stored ready for use. These boxes were more common in
the past, when people chewed betel nuts (see Fig. 85).
Ta lum are food and fruit containers that used to be
85
| SONE SIMATRANG
LACQUERWARE
these
examples,
clothes
storage
boxes
87
88
88. Same clothes container after application of yang rak solution and painting.
Ayuthaya and Bangkok cultural group, where the distinguishing characteristics are the colour composition of
135
136
89
LACQUERWARE
| SONE SIMATRANG
91
92
89. Parn Wan Fah, in which a king may place ceremonial accessories
or a Buddhist monk his robe.
90
9092. Tiab (food container with lid for senior Buddhist monk or king)
painted with black or red Rak solution with inlaid pearl. Thailand,
Ayuthya-Bangkok style.
93
93. Detail of mural painting (lai rod nam technique) of the life of Buddha now on view to the public at Prince Chumpot Boripats palace
(Wang Suan Pak Kad) in Bangkok.
137
138
LACQUERWARE
| SONE SIMATRANG
95
94
9495. Traditional northern Thai tobacco box with yang rak solution
applied and painting completed.
Table 1.
Thai name
Scientific name
Type of sap
Provokes allergies
Rak luang
Melanorrhoea
usitata, family
Anacardiaceae
Yes
Low toxicity
Rak mhoo or
rak nam
Buchaniania
lagifolia
No
Highly toxic
(skin rashes)
Semecarpus
cochinchinensis
Low grade
No
Highly toxic
Rak pah
curtisii
Semecarpus
curtisii
No
139
the Rak sap tree; he found that there were four different
Special terms are used for the different types of Thai lac-
Fig. 87). In the Pan Lai Rak Smook technique, Rak lac-
closures.
The lack of current scientific research in either chemistry or biology is another serious problem for Thai lacquerware production. Some forty years ago (from
195763), the Department of Industrial Promotion of
140
| SONE SIMATRANG
LACQUERWARE
ously.
141
up, giving hope that the traditional art of the past, thus
97
143
144
while gold leaf is also used in conventional Thai medicine in solution form.
Pak Som Poi is a species of Thai herb. It has a flat pad,
while the chemical content is acid. The herb is dried,
boiled and then filtered through fine white cloth, after
which it is used to reduce the alkalinity of the Horadan.
Kao Krathin (Krathin plant glue): a yellow transparent
99
crystalline substance obtained from a group of indigenous plant species, Krathin Yak. The crystals are soaked
binder. When mixed with Horadan, the resulting pigment is used for lacquerwork.
Gold leaf is pure gold, treated until a very thin flat surface is obtained. The gold leaf is then cut into 4 4 cm
squares. A special type of gold, called Thong Kud, is used
as it has a smooth surface that shows no joints in the
100
LACQUERWARE
| SOMPONG SAENGRAMROUNGROJ
101
145
panel placed in an incubator, a closed rectangularshaped container with shelves. Several layers of moist-
ened rice paper are then placed over it. In climates with
repeated several times. Vinegar may be added to accelerate the chemical reaction. Finally the liquid is discarded
is rubbed over the treated surface to prepare it for painting. If pumice is not available, sandpaper is used. The
with a finger. If the paint comes off, this means that the
absolutely dry.
146
| SOMPONG SAENGRAMROUNGROJ
LACQUERWARE
105
103. A linear pattern is made using the powder device.
104. Painting with carefully prepared Horadan solution:
the artist must draw or paint exactly over the pre-existing outline.
147
106
148
109
WASHING
107. Gold leaf is applied over the wiped-dry surface.
108. Paper with gold leaf is soaked with water. It is left for one
minute, then washed off.
149
Traditional lacquerware
manufacture in Viet Nam
TRAN HUY QUANG
150
LACQUERWARE
Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai. Here, the lacquer
111
tree is known as cay son (Rhus succedanea). Adult lacquer trees attain a height of 3 m to 4 m and bear fruit in
a raceme (inflorescence in which the flowers are borne
along the main stem). These trees grow in the wild and
have also been planted on an industrial scale for lacquer
production. Lacquer planters are generally farmers, not
highly skilled lacquer craftsmen. Saplings are set out in
September and October (the dry season in Viet Nam);
they take three years to develop sufficiently to begin
yielding lacquer sap. The lacquer trees produce sap for
three to four years and then the yield gradually
112
(Fig. 111).
LACQUER SAP
Lacquer sap from Vietnamese trees is very dense and
milky white in colour as it seeps out of the tree. Upon
contact with air and sunlight, the sap gradually turns a
151
the lacquer dries only with great difficulty. After the son
extremity to collect the sap that seeps out. The sap col-
Table 1).
called lacquer.
Percentage laccol
Characteristics
Colour
Dark brown
70 to 80
Light brown
son nhi = 60 to 65
60 to 65
Pale yellow
second lacquer
50 to 55
White
third lacquer
White
152
economic value.
LACQUERWARE
(Fig. 113).
lacquer. There are three kinds of son chin: son canh gian,
ity above 75 per cent). After three to four hours, the lac-
leave no marks.
Table 2).
To produce lacquer that will give a higher sheen on finThe preparation, or ripening, of the lacquer is achieved
the right hand holds the lower section, and the artisan
Composition
Use
70 son song
65 or better
son song
65 or better
son song
Colour
Cockroach wing
brown (a reddish
brown)
Black
153
114
lacquer.
firmly tied to the rim of the sai. Son chin that has been
stored for a long time will produce better and more
113
154
closely joined into a round shape. Son song (50 raw lac-
LACQUERWARE
In Viet Nam, the method for producing son chin has also
lacquer layer.
son song and sawdust, the nails are pulled out, and lacquer is used to fill the empty nail holes. When the lac-
155
face. For trays, the large surfaces are prepared before the
smaller sides.
primed voc.
Bo
Hom lacquer
Bo is a thick lacquer mixture used to modify the surface
level of the primed voc piece. A paste or putty composed
clay and son song are well kneaded together and applied
hom was the da gan ga, stone the colour of a cocks liver,
156
to 70 son song is used. The object is placed for twentyfour hours in the buong u (a tightly covered, humid box,
object covered prevents dust, mosquitoes or other impurities from becoming attached to the sticky surface.
LACQUERWARE
decorative paint.
Bamboo cot pieces, called trang tri tren cot tre nua,
drying.
the space required for the design, and paints in the broad
outlines of the motifs using son quang dau in fanciful
and then the rest of the colours are applied. When the
Lacquer relief
high and low relief. The voc and lot (primer) stages here
157
Coromandel lacquer
A black-lacquered core (voc) is used in this technique,
sanded and polished until brilliant. The designs are
carved, or incised, into the lacquer with a sculpting
knife, and oil is used to rub the exposed parts. The incisions are painted with lacquer.
canh gian and then lacquers are used, along with silver
and gold leaf and dust, cinnabar, various dyes, shells
from duck and hen eggs, and oyster shells.
The cinnabar is treated to produce four different
nuances of red: son trai, bright vermilion; son tuoi, vermilion; son tham, carmine; and son nhi, dark carmine.
Coloured patterns are drawn on paper from sketches
that the painter usually learns by heart, and are then
traced on to the object to be lacquered. Son chin canh
gian or son then are used to paint the basic outlines, then
spaces are filled in with colour and silver or gold dust is
sprinkled on (Fig. 116). This is allowed to dry, and then
117
perimented over the years and have found that silver dust
158
the voc core, and then pieces of cut shell are attached
the pieces of shell are level with the last layer of lacquer.
lacquer, make the voc, paint quang and polish the final
final step.
and screens.
159
looking-glass stands, jar supports, statue pedestals, candlesticks, ritual trays and wooden flower vases were all
lacquered.
Later, lacquerware for home use was developed: betelleaf boxes, looking-glass stands, trunks, dragon-shaped
before the Christian era until the tenth century A.D., lac-
LACQUERWARE
160
118
119
and various forms and differences in quality. This distinction is only relative, however, as son quang comes
in this field: Nguyen Gia Tri, Tran Van Can, Phan Ke An,
161
enjoyment. Until the 1920s, son mai was one single art.
After this date, among the educated populations in
urban areas who were influenced by Western painting,
one part of son mai was reserved as a pure art form, that
of son mai painting. However, among other people
son mai maintained a more general multifunctional
character.
Son mai employs techniques that rely on several raw
materials. The principal material utilized is the resin of
the lacquer tree. In Viet Nam, this tree belongs to the
Rhus succedanea species, grows to a height of 3 m to 4 m,
worldwide. Lacquer trees are found in many regions of
Viet Nam. They grow well in the midlands (Yen Bai, Phu
Tho and Nghia Lo provinces) and provide high-quality
resin. According to the Vietnamese General History
Outline, lacquerware first appeared during the Tran
dynasty (thirteenth century). Some written records exist
of the art of lacquer and the lacquer tree that date back
to the fifteenth century, such as the Du dia Chi
120
120. Lacquered mummy of a bonze.
Masters.
not only does it provide excellent glue for bonding various materials, it can also be pigmented to form a wide
range of colours. Lacquer has unusual properties; for
example, a slowly dried coat can with care be brought to
(Figs. 122123).
day life and life itself, and between art, creation and
described below.
LACQUERWARE
162
121
122
121. Son mai painting.
122123. Materials used in the art of son mai.
123
163
126
124
124126. The processes of son mai.
the applied and practical arts. Moreover, son mai and lac-
125
164
A tendency in contemporary painting is the use of multiple techniques and materials. This, too, is characteristic of Vietnamese son mai. Thus we can say that son mai
is both traditional and modern. Properly exploited, the
continuing production of son mai could contribute in its
own way to the art world of today.
Nevertheless, alongside son mai products with authentic
technical and aesthetic qualities, poor quality lacquerware, or fake son mai, is unfortunately being produced in
large quantities. At the same time, a tendency has
emerged to use foreign materials as substitutes for
authentic local materials. As a result, the prestige of
Vietnamese son mai is falling in both local and world
markets. Urgent action is required to stop the manufacturing of fake and substandard son mai.
The techniques and art of traditional son mai must be
carefully nurtured and encouraged. Then, on this basis,
the genuine value of these products will be raised
through our own creativity, and by learning from the
128
165
ivory, clay or stone. All were created with great skill and
lation.
166
used to sift and separate rice and other grains from the
painting).
15 kg; and pro orb slar, a type of box still used to store
betel leaves, tobacco and slices of slar (Arica catechu).
LACQUERWARE
| AN SITHA
is not used.
Technical aspects
palanquin and royal beds. Its value is further exemplified by its wide use in and around the city of Phnom
Technical aspects
(chor means resin and chong means the top of the tree)
167
(Dipterocarpus
intricatus),
dam
chheou
teal
(Dipterocarpus alatis), dam tbeng (Dipterocarpus obtusifolius) and dam khlong (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus).
129
Relief technique
Once removed from the mould (Fig. 131), the relief can
168
| AN SITHA
130
LACQUERWARE
in Cambodia today.
Technical aspects
Mreak chao (raw lacquer) is boiled in a mixture with
preyng kath (petroleum oil); the resulting liquid is black
at the bottom and dark brown towards the top. A few
layers of the black lacquer are applied to the prepared
wooden surface, followed by further layers, with the aid
of a kronath (cotton cloth that helps to improve the quality of the finish). No pigment can be added to the black
liquid, whereas the dark-brown liquid can be coloured.
The natural pigments that were formerly used have now
been replaced by synthetic pigments. Once the surface is
smooth, it can be painted using sam bork porng tea, sam
bork porng moane, sam bork kchong or sanleuk prak
(duck and chicken eggshell, seashell, snail-shell or silver
leaf). It is then rubbed with sandpaper or stone; a task
131
130. Liquid lacquer being poured into the mould.
132
chheou teal, dam trach, dam tbeng, dam khlong, chor chong
CAMBODIAN LACQUERWARE:
WORKSHOPS AND ARTISTS
war, and this art form has not attracted the younger gen-
169
170
LACQUERWARE
| AN SITHA
133
there are about ten layers and the surface of the mask is
quite strong. This process is called smach. The paper
not bring in very much money. But the will to learn tra-
business.
enamel paint and gold leaf. They are mounted on modelled heads, and have pointed, elongated crowns made
that the actor can see and breathe. As a rule every mask
171
134
172
135
173
Myanmar lacquerware:
historical background and
cultural perspectives
KHIN MG NYUNT
article or object covered with a hard, bright, smooth varnish called lacquer, a natural plant product, may be
also have the prefix ran, the word for flower being used
Myanmar there are two types of lac. The first is the lac
researchers.
174
soft wood and lacquer, which is still used in remote villages and monasteries in Myanmar.
The Myanmar chronicles describe the use of lacquerware
on formal state occasions and at royal receptions. During
the reign of King Anaukpetlun (160599), the envoys
from the Mogul Emperor Akkbar and those from the
Maha Rujah of Achin came to the court. In the recep136
tions that were held for them, pickled tea was served on
a fine lacquered kalat (a small circular tray with a stem),
and the credential letters were placed on an exquisitely
LACQUERWARE
| KHIN MG NYUNT
given for this view are that China had several thousand
175
route, the Mon must have acquired the lacquer art from
lacquerware
ware. The word yun is merely the Shan name for the
Thaton.
before
they
opened
up
trade
with
LACQUERWARE
| KHIN MG NYUNT
176
work and not yun work. This kind of plain, wooden lacquer-
Daunglan, byat, kalap, kwet, ok, etc., which are plain lacquer-
One cannot say when the Burmans began to know about this
Lem Shan and Yun Shan, who all live in different parts
si, meaning the resin from a tree; a person who earns his
ious colours and gold foils. It is called Yun ware. Kyauk Ka art
is much older than Yun art, but the latter is much more sophis-
pan-yun.
states.
or man-hpaya).
Museum at Pagan today has a number of excavated lacquer works of antiquity on display including images of
dictory:
which has been painted with thitsi and yellow ochre. It is plain
177
139
137
138
178
durability,
artistic
simplicity
and
genuine
| KHIN MG NYUNT
LACQUERWARE
143
141. A fine iron stylus (kauk) is used for engraving yun lacquerware.
142. Engraving ornaments in a lacquer workshop, Pagan, Myanmar.
179
from the ashes of animal bones, rice husks, and teakwood sawdust. This malleable plaster, also called thayo,
is mixed with lacquer and formed into long strands of
the required thickness. Using a wooden or iron stylus,
the artisans apply these strands to the surface of a
smooth, lacquer-coated object to form a relief design,
which is already sketched out on the surface.
Experienced craftsmen can create any design or figure
freehand. When the thayo has dried and is firmly
attached to the surface, many lacquer coatings are
applied. After painting or gilding, the whole thayo object
Kyauk Ka and Leigya in the southern Shan state are the
centres for this particular craft.
Glass mosaic and gilt lacquerware is called hman-zi
shwei-cha. Pieces of mirror or coloured glass are first cut
into different geometric shapes. These are inlaid on the
surface of the thayo lacquerware using another special
lacquer as an adhesive. After gilding, the whole surface
is washed with water so that the gold foil on the glass
washes away while that on the thayo remains. This type
of lacquerware is much more expensive to produce than
144a
144b
180
LACQUERWARE
| KHIN MG NYUNT
form a subject of their own, which art historians or connoisseurs would be better qualified to assess. Generally
speaking, they do not differ much from those used in
181
NOTES
1.
2.
3.
theory.
4.
neighbouring country.
183
Myanmar traditional
lacquerware techniques
THAN HTAIK
lacquerware.
men have passed this art down through the ages, from
184
LACQUERWARE
| THAN HTAIK
PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
is used mainly for the creation of different-coloured articles. The quality generally depends on the water content
incised
lacquerware
(yun),
gold-leaf
lacquerware
MARKETING LACQUERWARE
185
gold leaf.
187
sion. Because of less fertile soil and low rainfall, the area
Maung-daung1
(185378).
and simplicity of design. It seems that the village initially produced articles for religious use, then diversified
the good old days, one elder told the story that villagers
188
ware are the lacquer resin from thitsi trees and him-
or domestic use.
LACQUERWARE
| MYO MYINT
and marketing.
RAW MATERIALS
189
LABOUR
tating them.
hard to find.
applying lacquer are still alive, but they are ageing and
are no longer professionally active. There are only four
190
LACQUER MARKETS
abroad, the more profit goes to the owner and the work-
from all over the country. Many pagoda fairs are held
Afflone.
Lacquerware is also sent to a shop in Yango that specializes in selling articles afterwards given to monks.
Wholesale dealers from Mandalay and Pagan also buy
different types of container with a first coat of lacquer
NOTE
1.
191
Lacquerwork in India
HAKU SHAH
living from it. The clay pot for drinking water may be
India.
Craftwork of every kind can be found in Indian markets
today. But in earlier times there was more sharing and
AN EXQUISITE MATERIAL
not just for sale. Objects made just to earn money are
192
described as follows:
quer. This is closed by drawing the hot lacquer over the hole
into rods of about the same length and thickness as an ordinary pencil, or sometimes much thicker for certain special purposes. These are known as battis in most parts of the country.
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
As above, mostly mineral colours are used for mixing with lac-
hartal; the latter is well pounded, mixed with the shellac and
warmed gently.
pounded with water for several hours and, when dry, mixed
colours are applied on top of each other [in] three or four uni-
form coats. As a rule, the first coat is yellow, the second red,
then green and the last black. Now, using a fine pointed stylus,
produced.
foliage designs.
certain power.
FOIL ORNAMENTATION
placed over a slow fire. The lacquer melts and covers the
out that instead of a lacquer varnish, a golden varnish made from copal (resin), myrrh and sweet oil is
Lacquerwork in India
193
194
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
is added and the mass is then placed over a hot fire until
They are usually made from paper that has been written
ing tiny pieces of tin and copper and glass beads along
the edges.
from cat-fur.
example, boxes made in the Punjab as a rule are lacquered in a rich purple colour, while those made in
195
from the forge are finely ground with a glutinous substance its identity is a secret and layer upon layer of
this ingredient is put on with a brush until the desired
boss, or raised relief, is achieved. The whole object is
then covered with gold leaf, the designs are picked out
in paint and a layer of varnish is applied.
A tin background under superimposed transparent
colours is used in Hoshiarpur lacquer-turned work.
Apart from the designs scratched in the lacquer coatings,
mythological figures may also be painted in bold style
and then varnished. The colours used today are mostly
artificial aniline dyes. A speciality of this school is the
practice of scratching the design or figures on the lacquer background of one colour, filling the lines with
another colour, and then polishing the entire surface
146
Beautifully turned and coloured toys, cradles and furni146. Examples of tavlo lacquered bowls; lower right, a lacquer patti.
glue and allowed to dry. The articles are then put back
clear lacquer.
Lacquerwork in India
until smooth.
196
products.
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
148
197
153
151
154
152
151. Bowls drying in the sun before being fired in the kiln.
152. The open kiln.
153. Removing the fired bowls with wooden sticks in order to
apply lacquer.
154155. Applying lacquer.
155
Lacquerwork in India
150
198
158
156157. Applying lacquer.
158. Final touches are added using pieces of broken pot.
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
157
199
159
200
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
LACQUERWORK
Small pieces of lacquer are prepared with coloured powders bought at the market. Black is made from charcoal.
The colours are mixed in a paste with a shellac called
161
163
201
164
168
165
169
166
170
Lacquerwork in India
167
202
LACQUERWARE
| HAKU SHAH
203
diya), a spoon for serving (doya), a flat spoon for cooking (uthlanu), a kitchen fork (pana), a rolling pin for
making chapati (velan), a toy (chakardi), and shirt buttons (bida). Some of these objects were made only quite
spinners, turners, oil containers and legs for cots and
cradles. But unfortunately there are no longer many
buyers left for some of these things.
NOTES
1.
174
Government of Gujarat.
175
Lacquerwork in India
204
Glossary
MONIKA KOPPLIN
glossary.
In view of the wealth of lacquer techniques and the corresponding terms, many of which have changed over the
centuries, this glossary can represent only the nucleus of
a much-needed encyclopaedia of historical lacquer
terms. It is to be hoped that researchers will indeed
investigate this path of knowledge.
205
aokin
aokin togidashi
awabi
Japanese
sea-ear/abalone (zo. Haliotis tuberculata);
mother-of-pearl with particularly iridescent lustre
laque burgaute
ayaung-tin thit-si
Myanmar
black lacquer
Bantam work
English
English term for Coromandel lacquer*, named after the
port of Bantam on Java k'-hui k'uan-ts'ai vernis de
Vietnamese
mixture of raw lacquer sn sng, white clay and sawdust;
used as primer and to build up relief lacquer sn dap ni
boc vai/
Vietnamese
dnh vai
bung u
Vietnamese
drying cage for lacquerware
cy sn
Vietnamese
lacquer tree (bot. Rhus succedanea)
chang rak
Thai
craftsman producing lacquerware
chia-chu
t'o-t'ai vai bi
Glossary
Coromandel
206
chian mak
Thai
betel box kun-it
ch'iang-chin
or
chinkin-bori
ch'iang-chin-yin
ch'ilgi
Korean
lacquerware
ch'iljon
Korean
government workshop manufacturing lacquerware in the
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
kingdom of Silla
ch'ilp'i
Korean
lacquerware (armour) with leather core
chinkin-bori
chinkoku-bori
chinshu-bori
ch'i-shu
Chinese
lacquer tree (bot. Rhus verniciflua) onnamu
urushi no ki
ch'i-yan
ch'och'il
Korean
primary lacquer collected in the first phase of harvesting
chor mreak/mreak
Khmer: lacquer
207
chui-hua
chungch'il
Korean
intermediate lacquer collected in the second phase of
harvesting
chungsangso
Korean
name of a government workshop manufacturing
mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquerware
churumjil
Korean
cutting out small pieces of mother-of-pearl using paper
patterns as models
Coromandel lacquer
English
the decorative design of this black lacquerware is achieved by
ash, raw lacquer and other ingredients; the cut-out parts are
then partly painted with oil paints and partly gold-plated; the
term refers to the South-east Indian Coromandel coast and
was first used by French merchants in the eighteenth century
Vietnamese
core of lacquer paintings or lacquer objects made of wood,
bamboo ct tre nua or dry lacquer ct vai bi
ct tre na
Vietnamese
bamboo core
ct vai bi
Vietnamese
dry lacquer core
dam kroeul
Khmer
lacquer tree (bot. Melanorrhoea laccifera)
d sn mi
sn mi
Glossary
208
e-nashiji
Japanese: picture-nashiji
fu-ts'ai
fu-hung
guri
or
haku-e
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
haribori/
harigaki
heidatsu
p'ing-t'o
heijin
hinomaru-bon
Japanese: sun-round-tray
name of a group of round trays from the thirteenth century
decorated in Negoro-nuri
hiramaki-e
maki-e
hirame
hman-zi shwei-cha
Myanmar
gilt lacquerware with relief-moulded design thay pan
kywa and inlays of glass mosaic
209
horadan/horidan
Thai
mixed with kao krathin glue, used to apply the negative
design of lai rod nam
hsi-p'i
u.a.
Tsugaru-nuri
hwangch'il namu
Korean
lacquer tree (bot. Textoria morbifera)
hymon
ikakeji
inr
iro-e-togidashi
iro-urushi-e
jimaki
jinoko
kae-onnamu
Korean
lacquer tree (bot. Rhus trichocarpa mig.)
Glossary
210
Kaga-maki-e
Japanese
lacquerware in maki-e-technique from Kanazawa in the
Kaga province (now the Ishikawa prefecture); the school was
established in the seventeenth century
Kamakura-bori
kanagai
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
kao krathin
karamono
katami-gawari
k'-hui
Japanese
earth containing silicon; essential component of the primer
jinoko used in Wajima-nuri
211
Khmer
khmuk roeng
relief-moulded lacquer
lacquer application of moulded lacquer mixed and prepared
like the khmuk mreak leap lum or; the moulded elements
are affixed with gcau sbek krobey glue (prepared from the
skin of the water buffalo) and afterwards varnished or gilded
with gold-leaf (meas sanleuk) thay pan kywa
khmuk mreak
Khmer
lacquerware
Khmer
lacquer decoration; application of dehydrated lacquer mixed
with ash (pheh) from rice straw or palm tree leaves, chor
chong and chor toeuk resin, well stirred and heated; it is
usually pigmented for decorative purposes
Korean
cutting shells with a jig saw into geometric design
kimma
Japanese
black lacquerware thinly covered with water-soluble, gummy
paint, finely engraved and then covered with red lacquer; after
drying the whole surface is washed leaving the red decoration
on the black lacquer ground; kimma imitates the technique
and style of South-east Asian lacquerware from which the
term kimma is derived: kin-mak = eating betel nuts in Thai
language chian mak
kingin deiga/
kingin-e
kirigane
ki-urushi
Japanese
raw lacquer
Glossary
khunumjil
212
Kdai-ji maki-e
Japanese
k'uan-ts'ai
Kyauk-ka
Myanmar
village in upper Myanmar (Chin-dwin district) where mostly
plain black and red lacquerwork of wood or bamboo is
produced in large quantities
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
shwei-zawa
laque burgaute
French
awabi
leap khmuk mreak
Khmer
protective application of non-pigmented raw lacquer
lo-tien
maki-bokashi
maki-e
maki-eshi
213
makkinru
malch'il
Korean
last lacquer, collected in the third and final phase of
harvesting
miao-ch'i
Chinese
lacquer painting
mijingai-nuri
mi-t'o-sng
mitsuda-e/
mida-e
Japanese: litharge
added as a drying agent to produce mitsuda-e
mreak chao
Khmer
raw lacquer
muk khmuk
Khmer
masks made of papier-mch smach, decorated with reliefmoulded lacquer khmuk kbach push and gold-leaf
myay-taik
najon
Korean
mother-of-pearl
najon ch'ilgi
Korean
lacquerware with mother-of-pearl inlays lo-tien
raden
Glossary
mitsudas
214
namban
namban karakusa
namban shikki
nashiji
Negoro-nuri
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
netsuke
okibirame
onnamu
ch'i-shu urushi no ki
pan lai rak smook
Thai
relief design made of gold-plated lacquer paste rak smook
Myanmar
lacquering is one of the ten traditional arts and crafts in
Myanmar
p'ing-t'o
kanagai
215
pradab smook
Thai
mother-of-pearl inlay
raden
lo-tien
rak
Thai
lacquer
Thai
lacquer tree (bot. Semecarpus cochinchinensis)
rak luang
Thai
lacquer tree (bot. Melanorrhoea usitata)
thit-si bin
Thai
lacquer tree (bot. Buchanania latifolia)
Thai
purified lacquer sap
rak pah
Thai
lacquer tree (bot. Semecarpus curtisii)
rak shed
Thai
dehydrated lacquer sap
rak smook
Thai
mixture of lacquer with pulverized charcoal of banana leaves
sabi-urushi
Glossary
216
saeng-ot/
Korean
nal-ot
sangsa
Korean
cutting shells lengthwise, vertically or diagonally
shao-tang
shishiai maki-e
shwei-zawa
Myanmar
gold leaf decoration in negative design technique
Khmer
| GLOSSARY
LACQUERWARE
sn chin
Vietnamese
ripe lacquer sn cnh gin sn quang du sn then
sn dap ni
Vietnamese
lacquerware with relief design applied with a mixture of raw
lacquer sn sng, white clay and sawdust b; the relief
design is then covered with silver leaf and sn quang du,
or with coloured lacquer
sn khac
Vietnamese
engraved lacquer; the design is traced on a black lacquered
vc, cut out with a knife and painted with oil paints; the
technique resembles Coromandel lacquer*
217
sn kham trai
sn mi
Vietnamese
varnished lacquer; sn cnh gin lacquer mixed with
sn sng/
Vietnamese
sn ta
raw lacquer
sn then
songch'il
suzuribako
Japanese
writing box
taik
Myanmar
underground cellar for drying lacquerware
takamaki-e
Glossary
218
ta lum
Thai
square- or octagonal-shaped fruit and food container
Tausendflerranke
tebako
Japanese
toiletry box
thay
Myanmar
lacquer mixed with ashes, pulverized bone, paddy husks or
cow dung; this plastic material is used for relief-moulded
lacquer thay pan kywa
Myanmar
| GLOSSARY
relief-moulded lacquerware
LACQUERWARE
Myanmar
lacquer/resin
thit-si bin
Myanmar
lacquer tree (bot. Melanorrhoea usitata) rak luang
thit-si thama/
Myanmar
thit-si shaya
tiab
Thai
fruit and food container with pyramid-shaped cover
tiao-t'ien
Chinese
incising and filling t'ien-ch'i
t'ien-ch'i
Chinese
filled-in lacquer
219
t'i-hei
t'i-hsi
Chinese
guri yn-tiao
t'i-hung
t'i-ts'ai
togidashi
togidashi-maki-e
tonketsu shitaji
Japanese
primer to which pig's blood is added
Thai
cabinet for Buddhist manuscripts
t'o-t'ai
Chinese: no body
dry lacquer chia-chu* kanshitsu man vai bi
tranh sn mi
sn mi
Tsugaru-nuri
tsuikin
tsuikoku
Glossary
polishing
220
tsuishu
tui-ts'ai
tsuikin
t'ung
urushi
Japanese
resin/sap of the lacquer tree
urushi-e
Japanese
LACQUERWARE
| GLOSSARY
lacquer painting
urushi ganry
Japanese
lacquer pigment
urushi no ki
Japanese
lacquer tree (bot. Rhus verniciflua) ch'i-shu onnamu
urushibe
Japanese
lacquerworkers employed in government workshops
uta-e
Japanese
poem picture; maki-e depicting a classical poem and often
including inlaid characters made of cut metal
vai bi
Vietnamese
dry lacquer chia-chu* man kanshitsu t'o-t'ai
vernis de Coromandel
French
Khmer
polished lacquer; after the wooden core is impregnated with a
mixture of raw lacquer mreak chao and preyng kath oil
221
vc
Vietnamese
core of lacquerware prepared for decoration by covering with
cloth and various layers of polished primer
Wajima-nuri
warigai
yay-taik
yin-shih
myay-taik
yun
Myanmar
incised and filled-in lacquerware (from Pagan)
yn-tiao
guri* t'i-hsi
Glossary
222
Selected bibliography
pp. 21651.
207 pp.
223
CHINESE LACQUER
Fribourg, 1979.
5.)
317 pp.
Selected bibliography
224
pp. 7881.
LACQUERWARE
| SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
pp. 624.
nos.
Pennsylvania).
L I , Chiu-fang. Ming-tai chi-chi t shih-tai t-chng chi
chung-yao chng-chiu [The features of the times of
225
lection catalogue).
N ATIONAL PALACE M USEUM (ed.). Ku-kung po-wu-yan
L W-B EER , Fritz. Zum Dekor der Han-Lacke [On the decora-
Kulturgeschichte
Asiens
(Vienna),
Vol.
11,
1937,
R AGU , Beatrix von. Yan lacquerware. Some basic information for further studies. Oriental Art (London), Vol. 16,
No. 2, 1970, pp. 15.
. Zu chinesischen Perlmuttlacken des 14. Jahrhunderts
[On fourteenth-century Chinese mother-of-pearl lacquers]. Artibus Asiae (Ascona), Vol. 38, No. 2/3, 1976,
pp. 12838.
. Some Ming mother-of-pearl inlaid laquer objects in
Selected bibliography
226
pp. 11219.
47 pl.
. ber Daten, Orts- und Knstlernamen auf Perlmuttlacken der Ming-Zeit [Dates, place names and
baden, 1977.
. Eine chinesische Schnitzlack-Fussbank aus dem frhen
| SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
225 pp.
LACQUERWARE
KOREAN LACQUER
Koryo
L IANG - SHAN
I- TSU
Jahrbuch
Preussischer
Kulturbesitz
period].
PO - WU - KUAN
(ed.).
China]. Tokyo, Tokyo National Museum, 1998 (exhibition catalogue). 227 pp.
U MEHARA , Sueji. Shina Kan-dai kinen mei shikki zusetsu
[Illustrated study of Chinese lacquerware of the Han
227
JAPANESE LACQUER
pp. 4152.
K AWADA , Sadamu; TAKAHASHI, Takahiro. Krai Ri-ch no raden
catalogue).
178 pl.
B RUTIGAM , Herbert. Schtze japanischer Lackkunst auf
N ATIONAL
F OLKLORE
254 pp.
O KADA , J. Bunken-j yori mita Krai-raden [Literary sources
of study on Koryo nacre inlays]. Bijutsu kenky (Tokyo),
No. 175, 1954, pp. 424.
R AGU , Beatrix von. Zur Quellenkunde koreanischer Lacke
mit Perlmutt-Einlagen [Study of literary sources for
Selected bibliography
228
| SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
LACQUERWARE
Quelques
Pforzheim/Stuttgart, Schmuckmuseum/Linden-Museum,
chefs-duvre
indits
et
leurs
sources
pp. 14573.
229
48 pp.
chdo-hen.)
M EECH , Julia. Lacquerware from the Weston Collection (selection of inro and boxes). New York, Christies, 1995
(exhibition catalogue). 200 pp.
M ENDES PINTO, Maria Helena. Namban Lacquerware in
Portugal: The Portuguese presence in Japan (1543
1639). Lisbon, 1990. 127 pp.
logue). 21 pp.
R AGU , Beatrix von. Ein Schnitzlack-Kg von Zkoku [A
carved lacquer kg by Zkoku]. Nachrichten der
Gesellschaft fr Natur- und Vlkerkunde Ostasiens (Hamburg), No. 93, 1963, pp. 602.
. Materialien zu Iizuka Ty, seinem Werk und seiner
fig. 112.
Selected bibliography
230
RYUKYU LACQUER
LACQUERWARE
| SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
No. 7.)
Nurimono.
alogue). 62 pp.
A RAKAWA , Hirokazu; H AINO , Akio; M AEDA , Kin. Ryky
shikki no biten. Kaetekita Ryky shikki no seika [Exhibition of Ryukyu lacquerware]. Urasoe, Urasoe Art
Museum, 1983 (exhibition catalogue).
A RAKAWA , Hirokazu; T OKUGAWA , Yoshinobu. Ryky urushi
kgei [Lacquer of the Rykys]. Tokyo, 1977. 319 pp.
G ARNER , Harry M. Ryky Lacquer. London, Percival David
Foundation of Chinese Art 1972. 52 pp. (Monograph
Series, No. 1.)
B IJUTSUKAN
(ed.).
Urasoe-shi bijutsukan.
152 pp.
24 pp., 33 fig.
231
kunde, 9.)
pp. 10411.
pp. 201819.
Selected bibliography
232
Index
Bicentennial, 141
Bantam work see Coromandel lacquer
Beijing, 93
Forbidden City, 37
Berlin
Museum fr Ostasiatische Kunst, 44
throne emsemble, 32, 44
Beurdeley, Michel, 39
Blood, hogs/pigs, 27, 39, 76, 104
Bodiless lacquerware, 95
see also techniques, dry lacquer
Bo, 155, 206
Boc vai, 155, 206
Body of lacquer items
bamboo, 5, 27, 31, 57, 73, 81, 88, 90, 104, 114, 154, 163,
184
ceramic, 27
clay, 87, 88, 90, 114, 163
fabric, 27, 29, 58, 95, 114, 154, 17980
horn, 98, 104, 106
leather, 27, 32, 104, 106, 107
metallic, 27, 31, 50, 88, 90, 114, 163
multi-layer, 90, 92
paper, 27, 114, 126, 17980, 194, 195
preparation of, 26, 163
stone, 27, 88, 163
variety of, 27, 88, 90, 95, 114, 154, 163, 166, 184
wood see wood
Bonanni, Filippo, 45
233
LACQUERWARE
| INDEX
234
Drying
of wood for lacquerware cores, 104, 126
periods for lacquer, 21, 28, 33, 46n2, 76, 104, 113, 145,
151, 152, 153, 155, 156, 157, 184
room/cellar, 28, 184
techniques, 94
Du dia Chi, 161
Dust, techniques for avoiding, 28
Employment see workers, lacquer
Enashiji, 61, 66, 209
Europe
attitudes to Oriental lacquerware, 66
lacquerwork in, 45
see also collectors, export, trade
Export
Korean efforts to locate exported work, 80
lacquer export/import, 82, 119, 130, 139, 151, 188
lacquerware export, 32, 39, 65, 75, 7980, 934, 158,
185, 190
of shellac, 173
Fabric, 66
as body for lacquerware, 27, 29, 58, 95, 114, 154, 17980
used in wooden lacquer items, 27, 33, 50, 155, 168
Far Eastern Lacquer, 46
Figgess, J., 50
Fish skin, use of with lacquer, 55, 57n18, 80
Folk art, 55, 68, 178
see also handcrafts, traditional
Fontein, Jan, 50
Fraudulent imitations, 36, 45, 164
Furniture, lacquer, 27, 28, 34, 39, 40, 41, 45, 55, 64, 94, 113,
115, 123, 130, 134, 166, 1734, 179, 194
Fuzhou lacquer, 95
Garner, Sir Harry and Lady, 456, 70, 71
General History Outline, Viet Nam, 161
Gifts, royal/official, 51, 73, 75, 111, 125, 174
Glass mosaic lacquerware, 176, 179, 184
Glue, 54, 58, 90, 1445, 167, 193, 195
as primer, 39
fish, 50
lacquer, 19, 27, 50, 179
with tinfoil, 194
Gold, use with lacquer, 20, 29, 30, 31, 36, 401, 55, 61, 65, 67,
71, 72, 88, 92, 93, 95, 99, 125, 130, 135, 163
dust/powder, 589, 61, 68, 95, 120, 125, 167
flake technique, 92
foil, 20, 40, 41, 44, 49, 88, 93, 95, 178, 179
gold-plating, 90, 92, 95
inlay techniques, 118, 120
see also inlay
leaf, 73, 139, 144, 148, 167, 184, 185, 195
235
Ikaheji, 61
Ikuma, Hiroshi, 139
Important Intangible Cultural Property/Treasure, 50, 119, 132
India 191203
art, influence of, 42, 65
Gujarat lacquered bowls, 1968
lacquerware centres, 1926 passim
Indochinese College of Fine Arts, 160
Industrialization, impact of, 201
Inlay techniques, 20, 30, 425, 50, 54, 55, 61, 64, 65, 67, 73,
88, 90, 93, 99, 111, 114, 115, 118, 139
see also chinkin-bori; gold; metals, precious;
mother-of-pearl
Inro, 67, 73, 75
Inscriptions, 30, 31, 36, 41, 58, 63, 173, 181
Iro-e togadashi, 67, 209
Iron, interaction of lacquer with, 1534
Iron, use of hot, 50
Irving, Florence and Herbert, Collection, 46
Ishizawa, Hygo, 71, 72
Ivory, use with lacquer, 27
Jacquemart, Albert, 46
Jade, use with lacquer, 42, 88, 90
Japan, 35, 45, 11722, 1237
arrival of Europeans in, 65
Asuka period, 125
development of lacquer techniques in, 20, 27, 33, 41,
5768, 812, 11819, 123, 125
Edo period, 63, 668, 118
efforts to preserve traditonal culture, 80
Emperors of, 40, 42, 58
Heian period, 5960, 68, 125
Jmon period, 57, 125
Kamakura period, 601, 63, 125
Kofun period, 125
lacquerware centres in, 65, 68
Meiji period, 119
Momoyama period, 656, 125
Muromachi period, 625, 118, 125
Nara period, 58, 125
Neolithic period, 57, 80, 81
sculpture, 61
Shoguns, 62, 64, 667, 71, 125
Showa period, 119
Taisho period, 119
tea ceremonies/masters, 54, 62, 63, 69n7
use of lacquer goods in, 21
Warring States period, 65
Yayoi period, 57, 125
Japanese terms in lacquer working, 19, 68, 20622
Jenyns, Soame, 45
Jewellery, lacquered, 57, 178, 191, 192, 193, 194
Jimaki, 72, 209
Index
sprinkled particle technique, 20, 55, 5861, 63, 65, 66, 67,
694, 72, 118
Gompertz, G., 50
Gonse, Louis, 68
Goods, lacquered, types of, 21, 28, 41, 49, 57, 59, 656, 67, 75,
80, 81, 94, 989, 106, 111, 113, 115, 118, 119, 123, 133,
134, 149, 159, 165, 168, 174, 1767, 184, 1878, 191,
195, 203
see also archaeological excavations, boxes,
dining/drinking utensils, domestic items, furniture,
jewellery, masks, military equipment, trays
Government support for lacquer industry, 50, 93, 1067, 114,
132, 139
Gray, B., 50
Guri lacquer, 323, 47n16, 62, 208
see also lacquerware, carved
236
LACQUERWARE
| INDEX
Kuwayama, George, 46
Kyauk Ka ware, 176, 18790, 213
Lacquer Ware Workers Co-operative, 188, 190
Kyaw Tun, U, 175, 176
Kyin, U, 189
KyM, U, 188
Kyo powder, 126
Kyoto, Japan, 59, 62, 64, 65, 66
Kdai-ji, 66
Laccol, 82, 151
Lackkunst in Ostasien, 46
Lacquer
applications of, 19, 59, 80, 143, 1656
see also goods, lacquered
coats, numbers of, 48n17, 62, 75, 104, 113, 119, 166
colours see colour/pigments
combination with other materials, 20
see also bone; coral; colour/pigments; crystal; fish
skin; gold; horn; inlay techniques; jade; lead;
metals, precious; mother-of-pearl; shell; stone;
tinfoil; tortoiseshell; turquoise
demand for, 113
grades of, 113, 138, 143, 151, 152
life-enhancing properties of, 30
national varieties of, 113, 119, 143, 150
nature of as material, 19
oil-free, 127
preparation techniques, 25, 1514, 163, 168, 184, 188,
1923, 198
properties of raw, 19, 25, 801, 143, 1501, 161
properties of refined, 19, 801, 113
protective, 166, 193
resources available, 82
see also lacquer trees
shellac considered as, 173, 191
storage of, 97, 151, 153, 165, 184
thickness of layers, 33
toxicity of, 138, 139
Lacquer trees, 19, 21, 25, 57, 81, 97, 11213, 124, 130, 139,
143, 150, 161, 165, 173, 184, 188
age of, 25, 82, 139, 150
cultivation of, 29, 51, 81, 11213, 139, 151
harvesting of see harvesting
origin of, 57
shortage of, 21, 82, 139, 152
wild, 82, 97, 150
see also Melanorrhea laccifera, Melanhorrnoea usitata,
Rhus succedanea, Rhus trichocarpa, Rhus
verniciflua, Thitsi
Lacquerware
carved, 20, 30, 31, 327, 44, 62, 71, 75, 778, 88, 92;
false carved see tsuikin
dry type see techniques, dry lacquer
Monny, Master, 62
Monywa Degree College, Myanmar, 187
Mother-of-pearl, 20, 30, 425, 506 passim, 61, 65, 67, 73, 75,
80, 93, 10911 passim, 114, 115, 120, 125, 135, 139,
1578
crackled inlay, 54
kinds of, 73
Motifs, traditional, 29, 323, 35, 37, 41, 43, 49, 515, 62, 64,
65, 71, 11112, 149, 1801, 184
abstract/geometric, 29, 32, 41, 65, 75, 102
animals, 29, 149, 169, 180
birds, 29, 33, 39, 43, 65, 130, 168
Buddhist, 39, 184
Christian, 65, 125
dragon, 29, 33, 35, 37, 156
floral, 30, 33, 35, 39, 51, 55, 65, 75, 102, 11112, 130,
149, 156, 180, 193, 194
four seasons, 149
landscapes/natural features, 33, 37, 75, 102, 149
leaf, 512, 54, 75
meanings of common symbols, 1023
in Myanmar, 1801, 184
phoenix, 33, 35, 112, 149, 156
royal, 76
shawl pattern, 194
stamped-out, 37, 75, 131
symbolic, 35
symbols of longevity, 112, 114
waves, 35, 192, 202
zodiac symbols, 180, 184
Muk khmuk, 1702, 214
Mummies, lacquered, 159, 161
Muna bathi, 195
Mnster, Museum fr Lackkunst, 31, 62
Museum of Traditional Korean Crafts, 115
Myanmar, 82, 168, 17381, 1835, 18790
development of lacquer work in, 20, 1736, 1834
Export and Import Enterprise, 190
Lacquer Ware Institute, 183
Pagan period, 183
ten traditional arts, 173, 183
workshop on lacquer techniques, 5, 21, 79
Nails, use of, 49, 154
Najon chilgi, 50, 215
Nakshi, 1923
Namban lacquer, 65, 69n15, 215
Nan-tsun cho-kng-lu, 27, 40
Nara, Japan
Hry-ji temple, 578
Shs-in Treasury, 39, 42, 50, 58, 112
Tdai-ji, 63
Nashiji, 61, 215
National Museum of Korea, 110
Index
237
238
LACQUERWARE
| INDEX
Okada, J, 50
Okinawa, 71, 72, 75, 76, 130, 131
see also Ryukyu islands
Oriental Lacquer Art, 46
Osaka, Kongo-ji, 60
Padethayaza, Minister, 173
Pagan, 185
Archaeological Museum, 176
lacquerware, 1878
Lacquer Ware School, 188, 189
Painting techniques, use of painting, 29, 31, 39, 42, 49, 65, 72,
88, 92, 93, 99, 102, 110, 114, 130, 1456, 156, 167, 168
figurative style, 29
see also designs, motifs
mida-e, 125
needle, 39, 90
scenic, 39, 40
scratching, 90
Pak Som Poi, 144, 1456
Pan Lai Rak Smook, 139, 215
Pan-yun, 183, 215
see also ran-yun
Paper, as body for dry lacquerware, 27, 114, 126, 17980, 194,
195
in warigai technique, 54
Papier-mach, 27, 170
Perilla oil, use of, 130
Persia, 125
influence of, 39, 194
Phan Dang Nat, 17
Pigments see colour
Ping-to, 3940, 50, 216
Poh-Chang College, Bangkok, 140, 141
Polishing techniques, 20, 27, 28, 43, 50, 58, 104, 125, 126, 139,
1445, 155, 1578, 1689, 194, 195
Porcelain, 31, 37, 52, 73, 111
Pradab Smook, 139, 216
Primer/undercoat, 50, 77n14, 99, 104, 118, 120, 1267
five-stage Vietnamese process, 1546
ingredients used in, 27, 39, 57, 76, 104, 120
use of lacquer as, 19, 50, 76, 104, 127, 153
Pumice, use of, 145, 155, 159
Putty, 155
Pyke, Isaac, 76
Raden, 54, 61, 73, 120, 125, 129, 130, 215
Solex, 167
Son chin, 152, 216
Son dap noi, 156, 216
Son kham trai, 158, 217
Son mai, 15964, 217
Son quang dau, 156, 217
Son song, 151, 217
Son then, 150, 217
Soy milk, use of, 104
Speiser, Werner, 46
Stone
as body for lacquerware, 27, 88, 163
powder, use in primers, 27, 39, 104
powder, use in relief lacquer, 75
precious, use with lacquer, 88, 93, 95
Stuttgart, Linden-Museum, 40
Styrofoam, use of, 126
Sulphur, use in lacquer techniques, 40, 127
Symbols see motifs
Symes, Michael, 174
Taih, Mae, 119
Takamaki-e, 61, 64, 92, 93, 120, 125, 218
Taketori monogatari, 58
Tamamushi beetle, 58
Tamamushi shrine, Japan, 578, 692, 125
Tao Tsung-i, 27, 40
Tawaraya, Ssatsu, 67
Techniques
avoidance of dust 28
bodies see body
brushwork, 25
carving see lacquerware, carved
colouring see colour
dianluo, 95
dry lacquer, 20, 29, 58, 125, 126, 154, 176,
17980, 184
embossing, 61, 64, 92, 93, 120, 125, 131, 195
engraved, inlaid and filled, 3942, 44, 68, 72, 120, 130
engraved polychrome, 39
etching, 1923
filtering, 25, 26, 153
glass mosaic, 176, 179, 184
hammering, 88
heating, 25
historical development of, 1921, 2532, 812
incised, 39, 66, 94, 176, 178, 184
inlay see inlay
inscribed, 20, 71, 73
marbling, 90
mixing lacquer with compounds, 167
modern, 94
painted see painting
polishing see polishing techniques
Index
239
240
LACQUERWARE
| INDEX
107, 114, 124, 125, 150, 154, 155, 168, 176, 184,
194, 195
shaping, 88, 90, 104, 126
turning, 192, 193, 195, 199
types of, 39, 50, 104, 114, 124, 1256, 134, 195, 200
lacquer tree see lacquer tree
printing plates, 39
treatment of, 27, 1046, 1276; see also primer/undercoat
Workers, lacquer, 57, 58, 80, 97, 1067, 1234, 132, 185,
1889, 199203
age of, 124, 189
cooperative association of, 115
difficulties of, 137
gender division, 189
numbers of, 5, 21
as part-time farmers, 106, 137
planters, 150
shortage of, 189
see also artists, lacquerware
Workshops, lacquer
Cambodian, 16970
Chinese Imperial/state, 28, 36, 44, 81
Japanese export-oriented, 65
Japanese feudal, 67
Korean government supported, 114, 115
Korean palace, 51, 111
large and small in China today, 934, 106
Okinawa Prefectural Art Workshop, 132
reproducing antique styles, 94
in the Ryukyu islands, 129, 132
Silla government, 110
UNESCO on lacquer techniques, Myanmar, 5, 79
Vietnamese government-owned, 158
Yang Hui, 35
Yang Mao, 356, 48n20
Yang Ming, 39
Yangon, 21, 79
see also Myanmar
Yangzhoti Lacquer Factory, China, 95
Yangzhou technique, 95
Yasutada, Koma, 67
Yen-tieh lun, 29
Yi people, 97107
Yin-shih, 28, 221
Yoshino, Tomio, 50
Young people
shortage of as lacquer workers, 5, 21, 124, 169, 189
training of, 83, 189
Ygen, 64
Yu-kuan, Lee, 46
Yun-the, 1756, 178, 184
Zhaoqi lacquer, 93
Dating back several thousand years in Chinese history, the art of lacquer can claim to
be one of the most ancient and venerable expressions of Asian culture. However, there is growing
apprehension that this traditional knowledge, so firmly rooted in peoples daily lives as part
of their cultural expression, is under threat as never before. Over the past decades, the number
of people employed in lacquerware workshops, and particularly the younger generation, has fallen
dramatically all over Asia.
lacquer creative arts and craftsmanship, allowing the reader to compare the different methods
and materials used in Cambodia, China, India, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.
By presenting an overview of the art of lacquer in Asia today, this book depicts very different
kinds of lacquerware. At the same time, it underlines the importance of documenting past
and modern procedures, including knowledge of raw materials and techniques. This book will
appeal to specialists and art connoisseurs who are concerned by the survival of an ancestral art
doomed to disappear unless proper actions are taken to help it overcome the challenges
it faces today.