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Lacquer box
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Lacquer box
- Place of origin:
China (made)
- Date:
1403-1424 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Lacquer, carved
- Credit Line:
Given by Sir Harry and Lady Garner
- Museum number:
FE.22&A-1974
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The red colour of this early 15th-century box was achieved by using cinnabar as a colouring agent. The intricate floral pattern was created by building up many layers of lacquer and then carving them.
Lacquer was a craft from East Asia. Chinese workers had been tapping the sap of the lacquer tree from about 3000 BC. The filtered and purified lacquer was then applied to a base, usually of wood, and coloured.
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