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Ancient lacquerware at home in Zhejiang
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A lacquered bow unearthed from Xiaoshan District’s Kuahu Bridge historical site dates back 8,000 years, proving that Zhejiang locals had already discovered that the sap of the lacquer tree could be used to varnish and protect daily necessities in the early Neolithic Age.
Later, a lacquered wooden bowl excavated from the nationally noted Ningbo Hemudu historical site added weight to the theory that Zhejiang Province was the origin of China’s lacquerware culture.
In addition, historical documents indicate that Zhejiang was the center of making lacquerware in ancient times. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Hangzhou and Wenzhou were the two main production centers. Renowned masters and their superb skills greatly boosted the development of the craft during that period.
Today, more than 90 pieces of delicate and centuries-old lacquerware are displayed in the Zhejiang Museum through September 27. They include a batch of precious lacquerwares donated by entrepreneurial couple Cao Qiyong and Luo Bizhen.
Cao’s ancestral home was in Zhejiang, while he established his business empire in Hong Kong. The two have long been drawn by traditional lacquerware and have collected it around the world for 30 years.
In 2012, they donated 160 lacquer items, valued at 167 million yuan (US$27 million) to the Zhejiang Museum. Now the highlights of their donation are exhibited in the exhibition. The pieces range from the Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and most are items that were used by royal families in imperial palaces, such as dining ware, bowls, vases, furniture and decorative items.
In addition to the artifacts themselves, the museum showcases the process of making a piece of lacquerware through 3D video.
Lacquer resists moisture, heat and corrosion and it is smooth and shiny. The craft of making lacquerware reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty when craftsmen manufactured the pieces for imperial families and nobility.
Making lacquerware was time-consuming. An object was coated with about 100 layers of lacquer. Each had to dry for around two weeks and then would be smoothed and polished. Another layer was then applied. Eventually it was thick enough so that designs, figures and landscapes could be carved into the lacquer. Then it was coated once again to seal it. A piece could take as long as five years to complete, depending on the complexity.
Like other traditional crafts, the art of making lacquerware has declined in modern times.
Date: Through September 27 (closed on Mondays)
Address: Gushan Branch of Zhejiang Museum, 25 Gushan Rd
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