Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum

Introduction

The rich yet subtle color and the mild touch of lacquerware differ from the cool, dazzling beauty of porcelain or gold and silver. Not only light, lacquer also has the added features of being moisture-proof and insulating. Traditional lacquerware, its production time consuming and labor intensive, has often been regarded as a luxury item. Lacquer wares were not only made as storage boxes, but also used as ritual vessels, served as diplomatic gifts, and even became artworks treasured through the ages.

This exhibition consists mostly of Ming and Ch’ing dynasty selections of carved lacquerware from the National Palace Museum collection. Carved lacquerware involves engraving through a thick coating of multiple applications of lacquer to create different patterns and designs. Lacquer color and quality along with layers of expression have followed changes in aesthetics and techniques over the ages. Various forms of carving craftsmanship and pattern combinations have led to the rich abundance seen in Ming and Ch’ing lacquer wares.

The display is divided into five major sections, the first three dealing with the decorative themes of flowers, landscapes and figures, and clouds and dragons. Imperial participation in producing lacquerware infused private workshops with new stimulus, as seen in official works with scrolling branch-and-flower patterns from the Yung-lo and Hsüan-te reigns of the Ming dynasty as well as literary allusions introduced during the Ch’ien-lung reign in the Ch’ing dynasty. The Ch’ien-lung court developed innovative decorative styles of its own that were continued in the middle and late Ch’ing, becoming increasingly complex and opulent, thus accounting for the final two sections of this exhibit.

Such refined craftsmanship in lacquerware production requires a solid foundation of socio-economic prosperity motivated by a high level of culture. After appreciating the unique beauty and features of lacquerware in this exhibit, we can also reflect on utensils of the present to realize the extraordinary taste and achievement in lacquer arts of the past.