Lacquer Desk with Cloud Pattern and Supported Tray and Cup

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This is an exquisite lacquer set of the Western Han Dynasty. The innovative design and ingenious production give birth to rare treasure of ancient Chinese lacquerware. This set of lacquerware has nine parts in total, i.e., a rectangular lacquer desk with five small lacquer trays on it, one eared lacquer cup and two lacquer goblets (Zhi ). Such drinking devices were arranged for aristocrats of the Western Han Dynasty. Ancients sat on the ground and had diet beside the desk. On the desk, cup, plate and goblets (Zhi ) are all food utensils .

Eared cup and “flfl oating wine cup along the winding water”

Eared cup was a kind of drinking device which was popular from the Warring States Period, the Han Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty. With oval shape, it sees curved ear on each side, which can be used to drink or fifi lling soup. This drinking device is known as “feather goblet” or “feather cup” because it shapes like bird and two ears look like a bird’s wings. It is also said it related to the event of “floating wine cup along the winding water”. In other words, when people used the ear cups to drink wine in this event, they could insert feathers in the cup, which encouraged people to drink faster. “Floating wine cup along the winding water” was a kind of popular picnic feast event in ancient China, which was deployed in such way: people sat beside rolling brook, placed wine into eared cup on the tray, and then put the tray on the water surface of upstream brook so that the tray drifted downstream. When tray drifted to the twists and turns of brook, it tended to stop moving (even if it didn’t stop at the previous turning point, it may also stop at next turning point). Whoever saw the tray stopping nearby must drink wine, sing songs and make poetry. If people failed to make poetry, they should drink wine as a result.

Lacquerware process of the Han Dynasty

In the Han Dynasty, lacquerware decoration process reached the peak. In the following Tang Dynasty, lacquerware turned more brilliant, but the process and technology were originated in the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, the nobles liked to use lacquerware. At that time, lacquerware manufacturing industry fell into two kinds of operation nature: government-run workshops and private workshops. In government-run lacquerware workshops, lacquerware production went through eight processes. Products covered wide range and enjoyed excellent quality, which mainly served the royal family, and only a small quantity of lacquerware came on the market. Private manufacturing industry was also vigorous, creating a large number of products to meet market demand. At that time, expensive lacquerware was priced 10 times higher than that of the bronzeware. In the late Western Han Dynasty, lacquerware became life appliances of lower and middle classes due to increase in production volume and decline in prices. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, emerging porcelain gradually replaced lacquerware .

Lacquerware

Raw material of lacquerware is milky grey liquid cut from rhus skin, which is oxidized in air and gradually becomes black. After the refifi nement, it turns into natural lacquer with transparency, resistance to corrosion, acid and alkali and other characteristics. If gold, silver, red, green, black, white, yellow and other various colors are combined, bright and magnififi cent colorful lacquers could be made. Original bone of lacquerware mainly includes wood bone, crossed ramie bone and bamboo bone. Firstly, the lacquer is coated on the surface of original bone (lacquer is sometimes coated with several layers and even more than ten layers). After drying, tough and shining protective fifi lm is formed, which is then made into a variety of lacquerware. Lacquerware has two main decorative techniques: (1) Colorful lacquer painting: red, ochre and grey green lacquer paintings are made on black lacquer background. Few lacquer paintings are made on red lacquer background with black lacquer, which have bright color and don’t easily peel off; (2) Conic painting: It is also known as needle engraving. It usually refers to using needle or cone to engrave on undried lacquer fifi lm. The pattern is as thin as hairspring, with exquisite beauty.