Lacquerware was found in Neolithic sites and it had become an important art form by the Warring States period (475-221BC). Recently excavated tombs have yielded many bowls, vessels and boxes, much of it made of black lacquer with designs painted in red lacquer of birds, animals, and geometric patterns.
Lacquer comes from the sap of a tree (Rhus verniciflua) and is applied in many coats to a base, usually wood, each being allowed to dry before it is polished and another coat applied thus giving a hard shiny surface.
Later decorative embellishments included mother of pearl inlay and gold leaf and by the Song dynasty lacquer was being carved with bold designs, although some of the most elegant pieces from that time are simple and unadorned. Many beautifully carved lacquer bowls, trays, and boxes, coloured a deep red known as cinnabar, date from the Ming dynasty.
Lacquered Furniture
Black or red lacquered Chinese furniture decorated with gold leaf designs or inlaid with mother of pearl was popular for domestic use during the Qing dynasty. This lacquered furniture first came to the attention of the west when pieces were exported from China by traders based in Canton (Guangzhou) in the 18th and 19th centuries. Chests were first placed on legs to raise them to suit western tastes, later they were modified to western styles. More lacquer pieces reached the west after the looting of the summer palace in Beijing in 1860 and again after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.
Screens, tables and cabinets with landscape designs of black lacquer and gold leaf, as well as tea caddies, dressing cases, fans, sewing boxes, chess sets and games boxes were shipped overseas in large quantities. Many examples are now in museums specializing in Chinoiserie, but occasionally come up at auction.
Coromandel Lacquer Screens
Coromandel screens were produced from the 16th century, with many pieces being exported by the latter part of the Qing dynasty. The term refers to the coromandel coast of India, and was a general expression of the day to describe items originating from the `Indies' which included India, China and Japan.
The lacquer screens have between four and twelve panels carved in relief. The central design can be of a scene with figures in a landscape or auspicious flowers, birds and other natural forms, surrounded by Chinese symbols like the vessels of the Hundred Antiquities and other Precious Things.
Further reading on lacquerware: Derek Clifford, Chinese Carved Lacquer, London, 1992; 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, pub. Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong & Art Gallery of Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993.
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