What is Chinese lacquerware?
Lacquer ware refers to using lacquer to paint on the surface of wares or artwork. Lacquer ware is a special product of China. Raw lacquer is natural liquid cut from lacquer tree, which consists of laccol, laccase, gumminess and water. It is one of China’s great inventions of industrial arts. …
When did painting in China achieve high cultural status?
Ever since the Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589), painting had become an art of high sophistication that was associated with the gentry class as one of their main artistic pastimes, the others being calligraphy and poetry.
How did religion impact the Han Dynasty?
The religious legacy of the 400-year Han era was the development of Confucianism and Daoism, and the acceptance of Mahayana Buddhism. During the Western Han era, the religion of Daoism developed and became China’s major indigenous religion.
What do you use lacquerware for?
Lacquerware includes small or large containers, tableware, a variety of small objects carried by people, and larger objects such as furniture and even coffins painted with lacquer. Before lacquering, the surface is sometimes painted with pictures, inlaid with shell and other materials, or carved.
What is lacquerware made of?
Japanese lacquerware is made from the sap of the lacquer or urushi tree, native to Japan. The sap is a close relation to poison ivy and is poisonous to the touch until it dries. In the most basic terms, the urushi sap is a naturally made plastic and is a highly resistant and durable material.
When did lacquerware become a highly artistic craft?
During the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 BC) of China, sophisticated lacquer process techniques developed became a highly artistic craft. During the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC), lacquerware began appearing in large quantity.
Which is the best example of Chinese lacquerware?
Examples of highly decorated Han lacquerware – mainly from the state of Chu and from Sichuan – include the set of four nested coffins (c.170 BCE) discovered in the tomb of a mid-level aristocrat at Mawangdui, which were said to have taken the equivalent of one million man-hours, to complete.
When did lacquerware start in the Tang dynasty?
In the Tang dynasty (618–907), Chinese lacquerware saw a new style marked by the use of sheets of gold or silver made in various shapes, such as birds, animals, and flowers.
What was the Chinese art of polishing lacquer?
A variation of diaotian or tianqi is known as moxian (polish-reveal) in which a design is built up with lacquer in certain areas, the remaining areas are filled with lacquer of a different color, and the entire surface is polished down. Especially the art of inlaying lacquer with mother-of-pearl was intensively developed during the Song dynasty.