| Original Message: Moulded lacquer |
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Short answer - yes. I know of moulded lacquer having been produced in China from the early Qing period, but I would guess that the technique might have been used in much earlier times too. After all, very early bronzes and ceramics were frequently composed of moulded sections, so why not lacquer also? But actually, there's a very good reason why not. Moulded lacquer becomes much more fragile within a relatively short period of time than the lacquer which is laid on in multiple thin layers, dried and polished between one layer and the next. It has to be mixed with a thickening substance - ash or bone usually - and as it dries out it cracks quite quickly. I've seen fine examples in the Shanghai Museum but generally it's been used for lower-end products - for example, beads for the export market. Moulded lacquer was also used for ceremonial vessels in Mandalay in Burma, and for some reason many of them seem to have survived in quite good condition. All the best, Will All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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