The Conservation of Oriental Lacquer - Victoria and Albert Museum Página 1 de 2

CONSERVATION JOURNAL OCTOBER 1991 ISSUE 1

The Conservation of Oriental Lacquer

Stephen SheasbyFurniture Student on the RCA/V&A Conservation Course

The opening of the new Tsui Gallery of Chinese Art offered an opportunity to carry out conservation
treatment on the many fine examples of oriental lacquer which the V&A possesses. Following an
examination of the materials and techniques of oriental lacquer, the conservation of one particular
object - a lacquer vase made in Shanghai in 1947 by Shen Fuwen - will be described. This vase (see
Figure.1) is made of red oriental lacquer on a wooden core with a decoration of yellow and green
lacquer drips; there is a decoration of crushed eggshell around the rim at the top (see Figure.2). The
word 'lacquer' is widely used to describe many different substances; however, in this paper it will solely
refer to oriental lacquer.

Description
Oriental lacquer is made from the sap of the tree Rhus
vernicjfera which grows in China and Japan. The sap is
tapped by cutting notches in the bark and allowing it to drip
into containers hung around the trunk. After straining, it is
stored in air-tight containers sometimes for many years.
The quality of the lacquer is dependent on the soil, weather
conditions and year of tapping. Pure raw lacquer is used for
the best work, however, it may be extended by the addition
of various oils and saps. The poorest quality lacquer being
obtained by chopping up smaller branches, boiling them to
extract the sappy liquid and then straining.1 (#ref1) The
highly toxic raw lacquer must be processed before use. The
traditional technique is complex and produces a lacquer
which will dry to the required hard finish. Pigments are (http://www.vam.ac.uk/imag
added at this stage. -popup.html)
Figure 1. The vase by Shen Fuwen
(height 420 mm, maximum
diameter 255 mm), before
Pigments conservation. Photograph by Paul
Robins, V&A Photographic Studio
Traditionally vermilion (mercuric sulphide, HgS) is added to produce (click image for larger version)
the red lacquer.2 (#ref2) Vermilion is obtained by grinding and
levigating (a process of fractional sedimentation) the mineral cinnabar
or synthetically by combining the elements mercury and sulphur. Yellow lacquer is made by adding
orpiment (arsenic sulphide, As2S3 ) which is extremely poisonous and is obtained by grinding and
levigating the naturally occurring mineral.

The blue colouring matter indigo (C16H10N2O2) Obtained from various plants of the genus indigofera is
added to the orpiment to make green lacquer. Black lacquer is made with carbon © as the pigment.
Carbon black is obtained from the partial burning of oil, wood and other organic matter and will
therefore contain some impurities.

Chemical Composition
Raw lacquer is composed of 65-70% urushiol, 20-25% water, 10% gummy (polysaccharide) material,
approximately 1% enzyme laccase plus insoluble nitrogenous substances and trace metals e.g copper.3
(#ref3) Urushiol is a mixture of similar substances of general formula C6H3(OH)2 R. The percentages
of the various compounds with different side chain R are shown below :

48% R is (CH),-CH=CH-CH2-CH=CH -CH=CH -CH3

27% R is (CH2)7-CH=CH-(CH2)5 CH3

http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/conservation,%20journal,%20octob... 31/01/2011
The Conservation of Oriental Lacquer - Victoria and Albert Museum Página 2 de 2

11% R is (CH2)7-CH=CH-CH2-CH=CH(CH)2-CH3
5% R is (CH2)14-CH3
3% R is C16 side chain
1% R is C17 side chain

The drying of oriental lacquer is a complex process but is basically the oxidative polymerisation of the
urushiol initiated by the enzyme laccase. As oxygen is absorbed from the air during the polymerisation
process the lacquer has to be applied in very thin layers, each of which is allowed to dry before the next
is applied. Also, the relative humidity of the surrounding air has to be high for setting to occur. In this
way a hard material of great strength is produced that is capable of being polished and carved.

Conservation Treatment
The surface structure of the vase made by Shen Fuwen shows a very traditional composition with a
ground composed of lacquer mixed with clay on a wooden core.4 (#ref4) On top of this is a thin band
of black lacquer followed by the red lacquer. There was a considerable amount of surface dirt on the
vase and the surface of the lacquer was dull. After careful testing with a range of solvents, soaps and
mildly abrasive preparations, the surface dirt was removed with Duraglit Silver Polish applied through
Shellsol T (a hydrocarbon solvent with no aromatic content). Duraglit Silver Polish contains a siliceous
earth, water, alcohol, fatty acids and an antifoam agent on a cotton wadding.

The surface dirt on the eggshell decoration was removed after careful testing with the mildly abrasive
preparation Solvol Autosol applied on small cotton wool swabs moistened with Shellsol T. Solvol
Autosol is composed of kieselguhr, a methylated soap and white spirit.

There were several discoloured retouchings around the base from a

previous restoration, these were removed mechanically with a scalpel.
The damages to the lacquer were infilled with a gesso putty made from
gilder's whiting (calcium carbonate) and parchment size. Inpainting was
carried out using the pigment cinnabar plus a small amount of
lampblack dispersed in Paraloid B72 (a co-polymer of methyl acrylate
and ethyl methacrylate). The pigment cinnabar was obtained by
grinding the mineral (first in a mortar and pestle and then in water
using a glass muller and slab) and levigating to obtain the required
pigment. A surface coating of microcrystalline wax can be applied to the
surface of oriental lacquer to give some protection, however, in this case (http://www.vam.ac.uk/imag
it was considered unnecessary as the vase was going to be exhibited in a -popup.html)
glass case and the less put on the surface of lacquer the better. Figure 2. A detail of the vase
showing the crushed eggshell
decoration around the rim, before
Oriental lacquer is extremely sensitive to moisture and should only be conservation. Photograph by Paul
handled with gloves. Its surface is also extremely sensitive to Robins, V&A Photographic Studio
degradation by light exposure. (click image for larger version)

References
1 Garner, H., Chinese Lacquer, Faber and Faber, 1979, p. 21.
2 Garner, H., 'Technical Studies of Oriental Lacquer', Studies in Conservation, 8, 1963, pp. 84-97.
3 Mills, J. S. and White, R., The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects, Butterworths, 1987, pp. 104-
105.
4 Strange, E. F., Chinese Lacquer, William Brendon and Son, 1926, p. 2.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/journal/conservation,%20journal,%20octob... 31/01/2011