Lacquer art
The lacquer art is a craft technique whose origins 3500 years ago in China were. Varnishes are applied to everyday objects and art objects for surface finishing and decoration.
The Chinese lacquer art spread to Japan and other Asian countries. Japanese lacquer art ( urushi ) was modified to various lacquer techniques and reached its peak in the 9th century. Later, lacquer art was adopted by Arab artists, for whom the Islamic ban on images applied. In Persia in particular, lacquer art experienced another heyday. It did not reach Europe until around 2500 years after its creation; imported Asian lacquer work became fashionable ( chinoiserie ). The problem turned out to be that the sap of the Asian lacquer tree dried up during the long voyage to Europe and therefore new types of lacquer formulations based on oils, resins and binders had to be invented.
Source material
The used for the Asian lacquerware Chinese lacquer (synonyms: Japanese lacquer, urushi -Lack, Rhuslack) was originally in China from the lacquer tree won. Household items, dishes, vessels for ceremonies, equipping horses, bows and arrows, but also furniture and pictures were decorated. Each country developed its own lacquer technology, whereby the techniques of the neighboring countries were partially adopted.
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The three other types of paint fluids include:
- Burmese lacquer (called "Thitsi"), which is used in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and is obtained from the Burmese lacquer tree ( Gluta usitata , formerly known as Melanorrhoea usitata or usitatissima),
- the Japanese varnish produced by Rhus vernicifera and used in Japan, China and Korea
- the Vietnamese lacquer, which comes from Rhus succedanea and is used in Taiwan and Vietnam.
The varnish from trees from Myanmar is said to have a better viscosity and is more durable. In Myanmar the best paint is called “Thitsi Ayaung-tin” or “Black paint”, paints of poorer quality are called “Brown paint” and the worst is called “Red paint”.
technology
The extraction of the paint from the paint tree was very complex. The resinous liquid substance had to be extracted from the plant, colored and filtered. It was applied to the objects in many layers (10 to 200 layers). After drying, it formed a very thin layer on the objects. The Chinese lacquer does not dry by itself or only extremely slowly at room temperature, but only at a temperature of 96 ° C. With some techniques, the varnish is polished to a high gloss after each new layer of varnish, especially the top layer. In Asia, this smooth polishing is carried out with pieces of cephalopod shell (e.g. the back gulp of squid as a very fine abrasive), in Russia, on the other hand, with the teeth of wolves .
Because of its vegetable origin, Chinese lacquer can cause allergies.
Originally, Chinese lacquer was used to protect devices and vessels from corrosion and to make them waterproof, to protect furniture and pictures from damage by insects and moisture, as it is very resistant to chemical and physical influences. Over time, a decorative art developed from it.
The painting gives the surface a gloss. The varnish feels comfortable because it adapts to the warmth of the hand when you touch it. It is heat-resistant, acid-resistant , alkali-resistant and water-resistant (also against hot water). It also protects the surfaces to a certain extent from scratches and signs of wear and tear. After drying, the lacquer layer is hard, but flexible, it is resistant to hot water, does not smell and is not subject to biological decay. Lacquer is cheap, hygienic, it can be painted and shaped, as well as modeled and cut. It can be applied to any surface, whether on flat surfaces or on figures, on wood, bamboo , paper, fabric, leather, horsehair , metal or stone.
Black lacquer work was also done with shellac .
Lacquer work often has other decorations, for example inlays made of gold, silver or mother-of-pearl . The lacquer carving and the dry lacquer technique represent a specialty .
history
Lacquers and the manufacture of lacquerware were known in China at least since the Shang dynasty (approx. 1600 BC to 1046 BC). Fragments of vessels and vessels decorated with lacquer were found at the imperial court in tombs of the middle and late Shang dynasties. Lacquer painting thus originated in China about 3000 years ago ( Chinese lacquer art ).
The art of lacquer probably developed from the simple painting of objects that were coated with lacquer in order to protect them from the weather and environmental influences and thus make them more durable. The paint ( Chinese lacquer ) was from the growing Chinese lacquer tree produced. Since many objects mold quickly in the tropical and humid climate that prevails in some parts of China, they were coated with a varnish (the technical term for this is: overlaid). The dried varnish formed a solid film, a permanent protective cover that protected the object from dirt and moisture, making it more durable.
In addition to the protective properties of the paint, its suitability as a binder for paints was probably soon discovered. With this, the aesthetic effect of the paint came to the fore, with the artistic design of the paint, the art of paint was born. The specific use of the lacquer was replaced by its artistic design. An essential property of the surfaces treated with lacquer is its smoothness and gloss and the completely uniform film. The light remains effective even in the deep notches in a relief.
The lacquer tree required for lacquer production only grows in East Asia. In China, the almost finished paint could be tapped from its trunk.
China
From China, lacquer art spread through Korea, Japan, the countries of Indochina, India and Persia. The lacquer was made from the sap of the lacquer tree that grew in these regions (China: Zi-shu; Japan: Urushi-no-ki; Vietnam: Kej-shon).
Japan
Japan took over lacquer technology from China and then surpassed it, especially in lacquer painting. The Japanese lacquer technique is known under the name Urushi . The addition of gold and silver powder is considered an invention of the Japanese. This Japanese lacquer technique is called Makis and Nasidsi .
Japanese lacquer work is known from the 3rd century. The height of this art is in the 17th century. The first concrete news came to Europe through Kaempfer (1712) and the Jesuit priest Pierre Nicolas d'Incarville (1760).
The lacquer work was called Nuri-mono and Urushi-saiku.
Bonseki is an ancient Japanese art in which miniature landscapes with sand, pebbles and small pieces of rock are strewn on black lacquered trays.
Thailand
see: black gold lacquer painting
Myanmar
The use of resin to make a type of paint liquid has been known since the 5th century. The oldest piece of lacquerware found in Myanmar is a yellow round teak tin from the royal city of Bagan (approx. 13th century).
In Myanmar (Burma), lacquer objects were one of the most important symbols of the hierarchical order. Three times a year the Burmese king awarded lacquer work to members of the court and other important persons of the empire. The ceremony also included the delivery of ceremonial robes and other paraphernalia. The lacquer objects always included boxes for betel nuts or make-up cases ( bi-it ). The boxes bore the likeness of the king and queen. To this day, objects made of lacquer are part of everyday use in Myanmar, such as droplets or boxes, but also Buddha figures and sacrificial vases.
Iran
In Iran, a special varnish was used that contained sandarak , a natural resin from the North African sandarak tree . However, the quality of this paint did not come close to that of paints from China or Japan.
India
Lacquer art spread in India from the 500 century BC. The lacquer was made from linseed and vegetable gum. The total on the subcontinent spread colorful bangles (Engl. Bangles ) existed for centuries from paint or glass; today they are often made of plastic.
Europe
Lacquer painting was imitated in Europe as early as the 17th century, it was called painting in the "Chinese style". However, the art of decorating various objects with lacquer did not gain importance in Europe until the 18th century.
Belgium
Spa is considered the cradle of European lacquer art. There were fancy goods , boxes (for sewing kits, candy, tea, tobacco, cigarettes, powder) and toilet sets decorated with paint pictures. All items were made from beech wood. They found quick sales among the visitors to the well-known health resort. Lacquer painting experienced its heyday in Spa in the 18th century.
France
Count de Condé-Bourbon (from the House of Condé ) founded a manufacture in Chantilly in 1726 , which existed until the French Revolution in 1789.
The lacquer work of this time became known under the trade name "Vernis Martin". This summarizes all French lacquer work on wood of the 18th century (paneling, carriages, furniture, boxes, etc.). It goes back to the four Martin brothers (Guillaume, † 1749; Etienne-Simon, † 1770; Julian, † 1783; and Robert, 1706, † 1766). In the middle of the 18th century, the Martin brothers were considered to be the most important in their field. They developed a varnish made from copal , linseed oil and turpentine , which was also known as "Cipolin" and was used to imitate Chinese and Japanese lacquer work.
In 1730 (renewed in 1744) Guillaume and Etienne-Simon Martin received the exclusive right to produce “Vernis-Martin” imitations of Chinese and Japanese lacquer work from the French court. This documented right was renewed in 1744. During the period of Louis XV. lacquerware was imported from East Asia to France. These very expensive imports were to be replaced by the lacquer work of the Martin brothers.
After reading from books about Chinese and Japanese lacquer work, the brothers made their own very similar lacquer works - objects with lacquer paintings. Around 1745 they made paper mache tobacco boxes with gold lacquer reliefs and carved mother-of-pearl inlays in the Japanese style, which were very much appreciated and quickly found numerous imitators. The brothers then turned to lacquer painting and expanded their technique to include engine-turned and engraved surfaces. These were covered with transparent varnish and painted with flowers or figures. The Martin brothers were also valued for their large-scale lacquer work: monochrome lacquer surfaces on lacquer furniture, wall paneling, carriages and sedan chairs. Silverware could also be protected from tarnishing with a thin layer of varnish .
The Martin brothers' lacquer could be of different colors, but was typically green or gold-red. In 1748 her workshop became part of the Manufacture Royale des Meubles de la Couronne ("Royal Furniture Manufactory of the Crown"), which was founded under Louis XIV and comprised 250 artisans. It later became the Manufacture royale des tapisseries et des meubles de la Couronne .
Germany
The heyday of German lacquer art is associated with the name Johann Heinrich Stobwasser (* 1740; † 1829) and his Stobwasser factory (founded in 1763) in Braunschweig. Its products were intended for the broad bourgeoisie - in contrast to the products of the French brothers Martin, who worked exclusively for the upper class.
Russia
Main article: Russian lacquer art The four centers of Russian lacquer art are in:
- Fedoskino ( lacquer miniatures from Fedoskino )
- Cholui ( lacquer miniatures from Cholui )
- Mstjora ( lacquer miniatures from Mstjora )
- Palech ( paint miniatures from Palech )
See also
literature
- Masako Shono-Sládek: Shining like crystal (lacquer art from East Asia and Europe). Publisher: Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne 2002, ISBN 978-3879097869
- Cologne BASF Lacquers & Paints: Ex Oriente Lux. Lacquer art from East Asia and Europe. 1986, 3rd edition, self-published by Cologne BASF Lacke & Farben
- Michael Kühlenthal: Japanese and European lacquer work. Lipp, 2000, (English and German), ISBN 978-3874907033
- Hans Huth: Lacquer of the West: History of a Craft and an Industry. University of Chicago Press, 1971, ISBN 9780226363158
Lacquer art collection.
- Gunji Koizumi : Lacquer work: A practical exposure of the art of lacquering together with valuable notes for the collector. ; Pitman House Limited, London 1923.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alfred Golloch & Myint Myint Sein: lacquerware from Myanmar: From tree sap for crafts; in Chemistry in Our Time 38 (3): 190-200, June 2004 doi : 10.1002 / ciuz.200400297 , online pdf
- ↑ E. Kaempfer: Amoenitatum exoticarum politico-physico medicarum fasciculi V. Lemgoviae 1712
- ^ P. d'Incarville: Mémoire sure le Vernis de la Chine. in: Mém. de l'acad. roy. des sc. III., 1760 p. 117
- ^ S. Fraser-Lu, Burmese Lacquer Ware, The Tamarind Press, Bangkok, 1985.
- ↑ R. Isaacs and TR Blurton, Visions from the Golden Land, Burma and the art of lacquer, Art Media Resources, Ltd., Chicago., 2000
- ^ Noel Singer: "Nineteenth Century Court Lacquerware from Myanmar Sorceress". Arts of Asia , Vol. 26, 4 (1996), pp. 91-101.