Delightful Luxury: The Art of Chinese Lacquer
Explore highlights from the museum’s superb collection of Chinese lacquer, including court accessories, scholars’ objects, luxury items, and household furniture.
Circular box decorated with the character for spring and a bowl of treasures (1736-1795)Asian Art Museum
Chinese Lacquer
Known for its elegant forms and lustrous surfaces, Chinese lacquer has developed into a popular category of decorative arts with a wealth of motifs and symbols, designed to delight and decorate everyday life.
Rectangular panel (approx. 1700-1800, Qing dynasty (1644-1911))Asian Art Museum
Hanging screen with scene of an elegant gathering, 1700–1800
Lacquer is created from the sap of a tree native to southern China and was originally applied as a protective finish for wood.
Table screen and stand (1736-1795)Asian Art Museum
Table screen and stand, 1736–1795
Later artisans used lacquer to form ornamental surfaces with thick layers that could be carved into relief patterns or inlaid with decorative elements.
Tea bowl, one of a pair (1746)Asian Art Museum
Tea bowl, one of a pair, 1746
Carved multicolor lacquer
Bottle-shaped vase, 1700–1800
High quality lacquerware is precious because of the skill, time, and expense it requires to produce.
Stemmed cup with carved patterns, 1736-1795
Lacquer and metal with gilding
Round box with design of dragons playing amid clouds (1127-1279)Asian Art Museum
Round box, 1127–1279
Lacquer with carved dragon decorations
Chrysanthemum-shaped dish, 1100–1300
Brownish-black lacquer with wood core
Foliated hexagonal dish, 1300–1400
Carved marbled lacquer
Lobed box with painted decoration, 1300–1400
Over centuries, a range of lacquer techniques developed along three distinct paths: surface painting or drawing, carving, and inlay. In early China, lacquer was decorated with painted images or patterns.
Square plate, 1127–1279
Black lacquer painted with yellow hibiscus design
Square tray (1127-1368)Asian Art Museum
Rectangular box with cover (1610)Asian Art Museum
Rectangular box with cover, 1610
Charcoal and cinnabar were used to color the lacquer black or red.
Picnic box, 1800–1900
Gold paint on red lacquered wood and bamboo with auspicious characters
Table screen inlaid with an episode from the novel Three Kingdoms (1300-1400)Asian Art Museum
Table screen, 1300–1400
By the eighth century, craftsmen mastered techniques of attaching appliques of metal leaf and inlaying gilded silver wires and mother-of-pearl. This piece is a good example, showing an episode from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
Tray depicting plum branch under the moon, 1300–1400
Lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay
In subsequent eras, tastes favored engraved layers of alternating lacquer colors and complex patterns in relief carving to produce dazzling surfaces.
Lobed box, 1400–1500
Carved red lacquer box depicting a tea drinking scene, possibly referring to Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea.
Circular box decorated with the character for spring and a bowl of treasures (1736-1795)Asian Art Museum
Circular box with auspicious character "Spring", 1736–1795
Popular motifs included imperial and auspicious symbols associated with power, prosperity, good luck and longevity.
Bird feeder, 1800–1900
Lacquer on wood, ivory, and porcelain with underglaze blue decoration
Folding fan (1800-1900)Asian Art Museum
Folding fan with theatrical and garden scenes, 1800–1900
Lacquer, pigments, and appliqué on paper
Cosmetic box, 1300–1400
With their unique beauty and extravagant cost, traditional lacquerwares were considered luxury objects, serving as diplomatic gifts, exported goods, and dynastic treasures.
Brown lacquer with pewter rims and mother-of-pearl inlay
Triangular stand, 1300–1400
Lacquered furniture with mother-of-pearl inlay and gold paint
Lotus-shaped box with tray and cover (1271-1368)Asian Art Museum
Lotus-shaped box with tray and cover, 1271–1368
Black lacquer with pewter rims
Cosmetics box set (206 BCE-9 CE)Asian Art Museum
Cosmetics box set, 206 BCE–9 CE
Red and black lacquer with silver foil
Octagonal box with imperial dragon symbols, 1600–1700
From a Western Han-period (206 BCE–9 CE) cosmetic box set to Qing- and Republic-era luxury objects and household items for grandiose display, Delightful Luxury fascinates the eye while inviting the viewer to look closely and marvel at the artists’ outstanding techniques.
Rectangular tray with landscape design (1368-1644)Asian Art Museum
Rectangular tray with landscape design, 1368–1644
This is a virtuoso example of mother-of-pearl inlays. Here, the literati-style landscape conveys scholarly traditions and echoes classical master paintings.
Table screen and stand (1736-1795)Asian Art Museum
Table screen and stand, 1736–1795
Curator: Fan Jeremy Zhang, Barbara and Gerson Bakar Curator of Chinese Art
Contributors: Jenna Erwin, Nick Stone
Adapted from exhibition materials for Delightful Luxury: The Art of Chinese Lacquer
currently on view at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
