East Asian lacquer is a resin made from the highly toxic sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree, which is native to the area and a close relative of poison ivy. Lacquer is essentially a natural plastic, being highly water-resistant, acid, and heat to a certain extent.
Early origins – China:
Items covered in lacquer have been found in China dating to the Neolithic period, while lacquerware with elaborate decoration requiring labour-intensive manufacturing processes first appeared during the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.). As an art form, lacquerwork developed in China along two distinct paths: pictorial (surface) decoration and carving of the lacquer. These two techniques were rarely used in combination. Surface decoration took the form of painting or inlay; the earliest lacquered objects were coloured red or black with the addition of charcoal or cinnabar to the refined sap. Being such a volatile substance, very few colouring agents can be combined with it.
During the Han period, incised decoration was incorporated. Several other techniques evolved after the tenth century, including engraved gold (qiangjin), filled-in (diaotian or tianqi), and carved lacquer (diaoqi). The inlaying of lacquer with mother-of-pearl was developed during the Song period. In the sixteenth century, after around one thousand years, lacquer painting was revived, though rarely on carved lacquer.
Carved lacquer is uniquely Chinese, and it is unknown exactly when this developed. Lacquers thick enough for relief carving were produced no later than the Southern Song period (as known from archaeological excavations and from materials that were brought to Japan at the end of this period). This method flourished from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century.
Japan:
The earliest lacquer surface decoration known in Japan, other than simple designs painted on lacquered objects of the prehistoric period, is the gold and silver foil inlay of the Nara period. This technique was likely transmitted from Tang China (the dominant cultural influence on Japan at this time). This technique developed significantly in Japan. In later periods, other metals were also used for inlay in Japan, such as lead, tin, and pewter, alongside the use of gold and silver in powder form.
The Japanese exploited all properties of lacquer, including in liquid form for painting, as a solid surface that can be built up in areas, and as an adhesive, especially for gold and silver (in either foil or powder form). Maki-e (gold or silver) lacquer is one of the major achievements of Japanese decorative art.
Korea:
Lacquer surfaces were also decorated with metal foil inlay around the same time as China’s Tang dynasty, and during Korea’s Unified Silla period (676–935). Through the following Goryeo period, mother-of-pearl inlay became the dominant decorative technique for Korean lacquer. Gradually, Korean lacquer evolved its own distinct national style. The finest lacquerware of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods heavily uses mother-of-pearl inlay, often in combination with tortoiseshell.
Lacquerwork in Europe:
Lacquerwork appeared in Europe in the 16th century in response to the popularity of imported East Asian goods by the Portuguese, Dutch and English. Lacquerware became notable in aristocratic homes. Due to the high cost of pieces and inability to replicate Asian techniques (using the original sap, which could not survive transport by sea), European craftspeople developed imitation techniques known as ‘japanning’, using resin-based varnishes (often shellac) to replicate the, glossy and dark finish of lacquer items, which involved drying with heat and polishing. At this time, ‘Chinoiserie’ was a popular style for interior decoration.
By the 18th century, japanning became widespread with major centres in England, France and Germany, creating their own ‘Westernised’ designs. Being less resistant to wear, European lacquer was more of a decorative technique.
Today, very few make a living as a japanner, and lacquerwork is largely confined to conservation and restoration. Popularity also fluctuates with interior designs (e.g. in favour of ‘glossy’ surfaces). Much ‘lacquerwork’ in the UK in the modern day is actually industrial.
There are a wide variety of techniques within lacquerwork:
Today, lacquerwork exists primarily as a conservation craft – it is rare to make it for new items so it is taught from a conservation/restoration approach
A list of conservators with japanning skills can be found on the Conservation Register maintained by the Institute of Conservation.
Margaret Ballardie, Head of the Restoration Diploma Course at the City and Guilds of London Art School, sadly passed away in 2017. Margaret did much to promote the skill of japanning in the UK.
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