Lacquer

The various items used by Japanese lacquersmiths in the process of making lacquerware are works of art in their own right, from the boards upon which the craftsmen worked to the bowls in which they mixed the lacquer or kept their tools. Lacquer is a sap from the urushi tree (Rhus verniciflus) and is a viscous oily liquid that drips during application. This oily liquid was mixed with colour oxides on tables or other flat surfaces and boxes and bowls were used to store the tools of the trade. These objects are inevitably coated with lacquer over time and become expressive objects d’art themselves, the lacquer drippings create mercurial designs reminiscent of abstract expressionist art. Certain pieces were then polished flat while others were left in their natural state with the multi-layers of thick lacquer built over the years. We hope you enjoy this exhibition and find beauty in these objects.