Chinese Lacquer Art

Chinese Lacquer Art

 
Painted fish-pattern lacquer vessel, Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)
Over the longstanding Chinese history, numerous treasures and heritages have been left behind, among which the lacquer art is a brilliant one. China is the earliest country in the world using natural lacquer. In the early 1970s, archeologists unearthed a red lacquer wood bowl in an excavation in the Neolithic Hemudu remains in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province. It is estimated that the bowl was made 7,000 years ago, the oldest existing lacquer ware in the world.

Traditional Chinese lacquer art applies natural lacquer liquid from lacquer trees. China is abundant in lacquer resources. Lacquer trees in Mainland China are distributed in some
550 counties in 23 provinces.

Starting from red lacquer wood bowls and painted potteries in the Neolithic age, Chinese lacquer art enjoyed rapid development in the Warring Period (770-256BC) and the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), thanks to the upgraded productivity of the time.

According to historical documents, lacquer trees were widely planted during the Warring Period (770-256BC). Famous philosopher Zhuang Zi, founder of Daoism, worked as an official overseeing lacquer plantations for some time. At that time, lacquer was regarded as important as daily necessities such as linen, mulberry, fish and salt, and lacquer craftsmanship were remarkably raised. There were wood, bamboo and linen lacquer wares. Linen lacquerwork, not restrained from material sources, can be made in any shape. The improved craftsmanship gave rise to a multitude of lacquerwork varieties.

 
Red lacquer bowl
 
 

Red lacquer bowl

The Warring Period (770-256BC) embraced the first peak of lacquer art development, which continued into the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-25AD). Unearthed objects indicate that lacquer wares in the Warring Period (770-256BC) had substantially surpassed the previous ages in terms of varieties, production output and scope of distribution. In the Warring Period (770-256BC), lacquer wares were used in every sphere of society, including daily utensils, music instruments, tomb wares and even weapons. People of Chu, living in Hubei, like red color and made a large number of red lacquer wares. Their lacquer works featured two basic colors, red and black, creating unique visual effect. Red and black lacquerworks have been characteristic of Chinese lacquer art.

 

Chinese Furniture Woods

Chinese Furniture Woods
 
　
Some scholars of Chinese furniture may believe that the importation of hardwood from southeast Asia to China----beginning in the middle of the Ming dynasty----directly cause the golden age of Chinese classical furniture...because craftsmen could create the otherwise impossibly pure and slender lines of Ming style furniture . In more recent times, however, China's own rich forest resources have contributed a variety of hard and soft woods which are suitable for furniture making, some of which are described below.

 

Zitan

A member of the rosewood family, Zitan---sometimes referred to as red sandalwood---is blackish-purple to blackish--red in color. In fact, its fibers have been used for dye since ancient times. A dense wood, which sinks in water, the fine texture of its grain is especially suited to intricate carving. Historical records indicate that Zitan came from the tropical forests of southern China. Very slow to grow, few pieces are known to be greater than one foot in width. A rare and precious species of wood material and once considered to be extinct, new sources have been discovered in Indo-China and Southeast Asia during recent years.

 

Huanghuali

This wood, refereed to as yellow rosewood or yellow--flowering pearwood family. Known earlier as simply "huali" or "hualu", "huang" was added in the early 20th century to describe old huali wood whose surfaces had mellowed to a yellowish tone due to long exposure to light. The finest huanghuali has a translucent shimmering surface with abstract patterns and emits a sweet fragrance. Color can range from reddish--brown to golden--yellow. Huali was sourced from Hainan Island.

 

Hongmu

Distinguished by its pungent odor when worked, this wood is sometimes referred to as "Chinese mahogany". Its dark variety can be difficult to distinguish from zitan and is called "blackwood".Its light--colored variety is similar in appearance to huanghuali. This is a dense, hard and comparatively stable material for furniture.

 

Nanmu

This wood comes from a slow -growing tree of the evergreen laurel family characterized by a long, straight trunk 10 to 40 meters in height. Because it is highly resistant to decay, it was frequently used for architectural woodworking and boatbuilding. The wood dries well with minimal warping or splitting. It is prized as furniture--making wood, because it polishes to a shimmering surface and has a smooth surface. Nanmu also emits a pungent fragrance when freshly worked.

 

Xiangzhang

The attractively patterned grain of camphor----noted for its resistance to insects--has long been used in wardrobed and storage chests. A large evergreen tree of the laurel family, camphor can grow to huge proportions. The fragrance of camphor is intense after being freshly cut, and its strong scent does not diminish with time. Light to medium in weight, soft to medium in hardness, this wood is relatively stable, but not particularly strong as timber. The texture is even, and the surface can be polished to a rich luster. Yellow camphor is similarly figured, lighter in color, less dense; however, after cutting, its fragrance will dissipate with time. Yellow camphor is sometimes substituted for the more highly prized variety.

 

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