{"id":1786,"date":"2021-01-16T14:26:43","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T14:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/conservation\/?p=1786"},"modified":"2021-01-22T15:16:26","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T15:16:26","slug":"asian-lacquer-sap-varieties-and-a-basic-guide-to-purchasing-raw-lacquer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/conservation\/asian-lacquer-sap-varieties-and-a-basic-guide-to-purchasing-raw-lacquer\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian Lacquer \u2013 Sap Varieties and a Basic Guide to Purchasing Raw Lacquer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Asian lacquerware is a unique art form that involves coating objects with layers of natural resin to produce decorative and protective coatings. Asian lacquer is derived from the refined sap of several species of trees within the Anacardiaceae family, and different species are grown in different regions. It can be applied on almost any material and the diversity of lacquered Asian objects (Figure 1) is a testament to this. The materials and methods used in manufacturing and decorating lacquerware varies according to region and culture and is a fascinating world to deep-dive into \u2013 I have included some references below for anyone curious. There are also many informative videos on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1 Varieties of lacquered objects. From top left (clockwise): 1. Armour (Gusoku), Japan, 18th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2. Buddha, China, early 7th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 3. Betel box, Burma, Mid-20th century \u00a9 The Trustees of the British Museum, 4. Kris maker’s adze, Indonesia, 1800-1870s (early), \u00a9 The Trustees of the British Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are three main types of Asian lacquer: 1) East Asian lacquer, also known as urushi or Japanese lacquer, 2) Burmese lacquer, also known as thitsi, and 3) Vietnamese lacquer. These are chemically distinguishable based on their primary chemical component, which contributes to differences in the properties of the lacquer, though it should be noted that this is also affected by the age of the tree, the season and process of tapping, and how the sap is refined. \u00a0While chemically different, all three types harden through a chemical reaction, known as oxidation polymerization, with oxygen under controlled environmental conditions. The result is a coating that is extremely resistant, inert to acids, alkalis and alcohols, insoluble in most solvents, and is able to withstand high temperatures. Table 1 provides a brief summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table 1 Summary of information on Asian Lacquer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asian Lacquer \u2013 Varieties<\/strong><\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
Lacquer Type \/ Common Name<\/strong><\/td>Japanese lacquer \/ East Asian lacquer \/ Urushi<\/td>Burmese lacquer \/ Thitsi<\/td>Burmese lacquer \/ Thitsi <\/td> Vietnamese lacquer \u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
Tree Species<\/strong><\/td>Toxicodendron vernicifluum<\/em><\/td>Gluta usitata<\/em><\/td>Gluta laccifera<\/em><\/td>\u00a0Toxicodendron succedanea<\/em><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td>(Formerly Rhus vernicifera)<\/td>(Formerly Melanorrhoea usitata)<\/td>(Formerly Melanorrhoea laccifera)<\/td>(Formerly Rhus succedanea)\u00a0<\/td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr>
Primary Chemical Component<\/strong>\u00a0<\/td>Urushiol<\/td>Thitsiol<\/td>Thitsiol<\/td>Laccol\u00a0<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Found in<\/strong><\/td>China, Japan, Korea<\/td>Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos<\/td>Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam<\/td>\u00a0Vietnam, Taiwan<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For my first conservation project, I was assigned a Burmese lacquer cup (Figure 2) belonging to our Conservation Department\u2019s very own Professor Jane Henderson. She shared that she had purchased it as a souvenir from a lacquerware workshop during a trip to Myanmar. The cup was very loved, well-used for drinking, and had overtime suffered losses to the lacquer layer along the mouth rim and foot. She requested for it to be made reusable (safe to drink from) and to appear relatively \u2018un-damaged\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2 Myanmar Lacquer Cup. Source: Author<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While considering conservation treatment options for in-filling the areas of loss, I struggled to find a conservation-grade material that is durable, waterproof and food-safe. This led me to eventually contemplate the use of Asian lacquer as a repair material, which is a common practice in Asia for repairing and restoring lacquerware. Based on the mentioned criteria, it seemed to be a good fit as it cures to become hard, non-toxic and resistant to heat and solvents, thus making it food-safe, washable and durable for regular use. It would also share similar properties to the object\u2019s original lacquer layer, hence making it more likely to age and react to environmental changes in the same way and thus more compatible than other synthetic materials. The downside would be that the repair may be irreversible or difficult to retreat in the future since lacquer cures to become insoluble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Since the cup originates from Myanmar, using the lacquer variety (thitsi) from the region would be preferable \u2013 this is based on the assumption that a local source of lacquer was used in the manufacturing process. If not, the use of other types of lacquer (urushi or Vietnamese lacquer) can be considered since these would still be characteristically more similar to the lacquer on the cup than a synthetic material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, I moved on to my next consideration \u2013 is the material available in the lab? If not, can it be easily purchased?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick chat with our tutor confirmed that the lab does not stock any forms of raw Asian lacquer. Answering the second question took some effort and with that, I thought it would be helpful to share what I learned from the sourcing process and to have the vendors\u2019 information consolidated here as a reference for anyone interested in purchasing raw Asian lacquer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Urushi can be easily purchased online.<\/strong> Vendors often provide different qualities of urushi, and these can be pre-coloured or clear. Some even stock kintsugi kits and other related tools and materials. The cost depends on the origins of the lacquer \u2013 Chinese sourced lacquer is usually cheaper and of a lower quality than Japanese ones (the quality depends on the urushiol content). The cost price of materials from Japanese vendors is lower but once shipping and additional costs are included, the overall amount may be similar. When purchasing kintsugi kits, be sure to check if what you want is a traditional kintsugi kit using raw urushi<\/a> or a modern interpretation that uses epoxy<\/a> (links are to blog entries by alumni students, Shan-Ying Chen, and Cal James respectively).<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n