Chinese lacquer ware

Chinese lacquer ware refers to household utensils, handicrafts and artworks coated with lacquer in ancient China. It is an ingenious invention and a pearl of Chinese artworks.

Lacquer ware boasts a long history which can be dated back to the remote ages in China. From the Neolithic remains were unearthed a number of lacquer-painted black pottery objects, and during the Warring States Period (475-221 B. C.) lacquer ware was well developed. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) lacquer ware was widely used as household utensils and by the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) many techniques and hundreds of varieties of lacquer ware had come into being, which ushered in the most flourishing epoch of Chinese lacquer ware.

Chinese lacquer ware boasts a pearl-like lustre polished as radiant as that of porcelain. Originally only wood and bamboo were used as its rough-cast base. Later, various materials were adopted and more exquisite and complex techniques were developed, such as inlaying, colour painting, etching, coromandel, cover-coating and wrapping with jades as well as stones.

Chinese lacquer ware enjoys a full range of varieties, such as the inlaid gold and silver lacquer ware (Jinyin PingTuo) in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), plain lacquer ware (Yise Qiqi) in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), carved lacquer ware in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), the stone-decorated lacquer ware (Baibao qian) in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and bodiless lacquer ware in the Qing Dynasty.

Like porcelain and silk, lacquer ware is a significant component of Chinese cultural relics and a gem of world artwork.