Black gold lacquer painting
Black gold lacquer painting ( Thai ลาย รดน้ำ Lai Rod Nam , literally something like " ornaments washed out with water") is a traditional Thai art form.
Among the applied arts that have been practiced by the Thai for a long time, the decoration with gold leaf drawings on black, rarely also on red lacquer, around various objects for religious or daily use such as small boxes, cupboards, doors or wooden screens is significant to decorate.
Probably originating from China, possibly also reached Thailand via Burma , this technique had its heyday in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya from the 17th to the middle of the 18th century.
materials
- Lacquer : latex from a tree from the Anacardiaceae family ( Gluta usitata ; Thai: รัก ใหญ่ Rak Yai ). This is not to be confused with shellac .
- Color : gum of the Indian crab apple ( Feronia elephantum , Rutaceae ; Thai: มะขวิด Ma Khwit ), has properties like gum arabic . With noise Yellow ( Arsenic (III) sulfide added) it gives a yellow ink.
- Gold leaf
-
Traditionally made brushes :
- from aerial roots of a pandanus ( Pandanus tectorius , Thai: ลำเจียก Lam Chiak ; see: screw trees ): cut straight, split, made supple and tied to a thick brush.
- from the bark of the Canagium odoratum tree (Annonaceae, Thai: กระ ตัง งา ไทย Krah Dang Nga ; see: Annonaceae ): crushed, then the fibers are soaked in water to make them supple. The flowers of this tree are also used to make ylang-ylang perfume.
- Very fine brushes are made from individual animal hair, especially from cows.
- Extra fine brushes are made from the thinnest hair from the inner surfaces of cow ears.
Manufacturing process
The workpiece is first coated with a layer of Rak-Yai lacquer, which then has to dry. Then the varnish is polished with soft charcoal. This process is repeated two more times. For the fourth application, the paint is boiled down so that it takes on a deep black color. This layer of lacquer is also polished to a high gloss with charcoal. In the meantime the artist has designed his ornaments on a scale of 1: 1 as line drawings (Thai: ลาย Lai ) on paper. The paper is then perforated along the lines with a thin needle. When the last layer of lacquer has dried, the perforated paper is placed on the workpiece. With a powder bag containing very finely ground chalk or ash, the artist traces the lines onto the paint. If the paper is carefully peeled off, the lines will remain visible as a series of white dots.
Along these lines, the ornament is applied to the black lacquer with yellow Ma-Khwit paint in such a way that all areas that should later remain black are covered with yellow paint. In this way a negative of the later picture is created. To make it easier for later restorations, the artist can also trace the contours with a fine needle. This drawing is covered again with a thin layer of heated varnish. Before the last layer dries completely, the workpiece is prepared so that it can be completely covered with gold leaf .
After everything has dried for about a day, in the last step the gold is carefully washed off with plenty of water in the areas that were previously painted with yellow, water-soluble paint. The art form got its name from this step. Another possibility is to cover the gold with blotting paper and soak it in water until the yellow color has separated from the black lacquer. If the blotting paper is peeled off, the gold will stick to the paper in these places.
The beauty of the final product depends both on the quality of the initial drawing, but also on the great care that the artist must take at every step. Because there is no way to correct errors in manufacture. This takes years of learning.
Today's application
In numerous villages around Chiang Mai there are many small businesses that make souvenirs for tourists in this old way, pill boxes , wall plates , etc. Modern artists have been inspired by this technique, golden paintings with traditional motifs even on handmade paper, Khoi -Paper or on the Saa paper of the mulberry tree .
literature
- Silpa Bhirasri: Thai Lacquer Works . 6th ed. The Fine Arts Department , Bangkok 2001 (Thai culture; Volume 5).
- Jean Boisselier: Painting In Thailand . Verlag W.Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-17-002521-X .
- Steve Van Beek: The Arts Of Thailand . Thames & Hudson, London 1991, ISBN 0-500-23620-8 .
- The Lacquer Pavilion at Suan Pakkad Palace , published by Princess Chumbhot of Nagara Svarga. Pikhanes Press, Bangkok 2524/1981.