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Unvarnished truth about lacquer for royalty
By Wu Huixin |
December 4, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN the early Neolithic Age, Chinese discovered that the sap of what we call the lacquer tree would be used to varnish and protect daily necessities.
Lacquer was moisture-resistant, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant and it was smooth and shiny.
Eventually making lacquer ware became a craft, which reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Lacquer ware products were common and many exquisite products were made for nobility and imperial families.
The art of lacquer ware has declined in modern times.
Today an entrepreneurial couple, Cao Qiyong and Luo Bizhen, have displayed lacquer ware collected over nearly 30 years in the Zhejiang Museum through February 27.
Cao's ancestral home was Zhejiang, while he established his business empire in Hong Kong. The two were drawn by traditional lacquer ware and began collecting it around the world.
They donated 160 items, valued at 167 million yuan (US$27 million) to the Zhejiang Museum voluntarily. It was the largest donation received by the museum since 1947. It is said the variety and quality of the collections is second only to that in the Forbidden City.
The items come from various dynasties, 12 were from the Song (960-1279), 32 were Ming (1368-1644), 82 from the Qing. Most were items used by royal families in imperial palaces, such as dining ware, bowls, vases, furniture and decorative items.
For the Zhejiang Museum, Cao's donation fills the void in lacquer ware from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and enriches the collection from the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Qianlong was an aficionado of lacquer ware and his tastes affected the craft during his reign, considered the peak of craftsmanship and artistry.
Making lacquer ware was time-consuming. An object was coated with around 100 layers of lacquer. Each had to dry for around two weeks and then it was smoothed and polished. Another layer was then applied. Eventually it was thick enough so that designs, figures and landscapes could be carved in the thick lacquer. And it was coated once again to seal it. A piece could take as long as five years to complete, depending on the complexity.
Date: Through February 27
Venue: Wulin Branch of Zhejiang Museum, No. 6, Xihu Culture Plaza, Xiacheng District
Lacquer was moisture-resistant, heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant and it was smooth and shiny.
Eventually making lacquer ware became a craft, which reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Lacquer ware products were common and many exquisite products were made for nobility and imperial families.
The art of lacquer ware has declined in modern times.
Today an entrepreneurial couple, Cao Qiyong and Luo Bizhen, have displayed lacquer ware collected over nearly 30 years in the Zhejiang Museum through February 27.
Cao's ancestral home was Zhejiang, while he established his business empire in Hong Kong. The two were drawn by traditional lacquer ware and began collecting it around the world.
They donated 160 items, valued at 167 million yuan (US$27 million) to the Zhejiang Museum voluntarily. It was the largest donation received by the museum since 1947. It is said the variety and quality of the collections is second only to that in the Forbidden City.
The items come from various dynasties, 12 were from the Song (960-1279), 32 were Ming (1368-1644), 82 from the Qing. Most were items used by royal families in imperial palaces, such as dining ware, bowls, vases, furniture and decorative items.
For the Zhejiang Museum, Cao's donation fills the void in lacquer ware from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and enriches the collection from the Qianlong Period of the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Qianlong was an aficionado of lacquer ware and his tastes affected the craft during his reign, considered the peak of craftsmanship and artistry.
Making lacquer ware was time-consuming. An object was coated with around 100 layers of lacquer. Each had to dry for around two weeks and then it was smoothed and polished. Another layer was then applied. Eventually it was thick enough so that designs, figures and landscapes could be carved in the thick lacquer. And it was coated once again to seal it. A piece could take as long as five years to complete, depending on the complexity.
Date: Through February 27
Venue: Wulin Branch of Zhejiang Museum, No. 6, Xihu Culture Plaza, Xiacheng District
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