Paperweight
1913-1914 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This paperweight was made shortly after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, when China became a republic. The technique with which it was made, however, is more than a thousand years old. It is sometimes called a 'bodiless lacquer', because the silk core of the object is so light-weighed that it feels almost like nothing. The sap of the lacquer tree was mixed with wheat flour and applied to the core. The surface of the paperweight was then polished and painted with coloured lacquer. Fuzhou was one of the centres specialized in silk lacquer and this vase was bought by a British diplomat in that city between 1913 and 1914.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Lacquer on silk |
| Brief description | Woo, China, lacquer, painted |
| Physical description | Gold dragon on a blue oblong base |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Gift of Mr Paul King |
| Object history | The donor served as Commissioner of Customs at Fuzhou 1913 - 1914. He claims that this piece is an example of the work of one artist whose secret died with him and who was generally acknowledged as the only producer of genuine silk lacquer |
| Summary | This paperweight was made shortly after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, when China became a republic. The technique with which it was made, however, is more than a thousand years old. It is sometimes called a 'bodiless lacquer', because the silk core of the object is so light-weighed that it feels almost like nothing. The sap of the lacquer tree was mixed with wheat flour and applied to the core. The surface of the paperweight was then polished and painted with coloured lacquer. Fuzhou was one of the centres specialized in silk lacquer and this vase was bought by a British diplomat in that city between 1913 and 1914. |
| Bibliographic reference | V&A Album, Autumn 1988
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.139-1928 |
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| Record created | February 12, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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