Chinese lacquered articles have a long history. According to archaeological finds, lacquered articles were discovered as early as in the Neolithic site at Hemudu dating from about 7,000 years ago. In the Shang and Zhou dynasties, lacquered articles were mainly used for rites and daily life; with an air of religion and mystery. In the Shang Dynasty they had already started to be decorated with colored designs, and carved or inlaid techniques. In the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, some lacquered articles were modeled on bronze vessels. In the Warring States Period, lacquered articles were brought to new heights in the variety of materials and types, techniques and workmanship.
The Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC~220 AD) marked the heyday of lacquered articles. That was mainly reflected in the following: 1) they were produced under supervision by government authorities; 2) their use was popularized; and 3) lacquering was strongly decorative. Typical products of this period were found in Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shandong. Since the 1950s, a large number of wooden lacquered articles have been unearthed across the country. They could embody the glory of Qin and Han lacquered articles by virtue of their number, variety of types and functions, beauty in design and colored decoration, and good condition of preservation. This exhibition features the best of such wares unearthed in Hubei.
1. Lacquered flat pot with colored design of the ox, horse and bird
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 22.8 cm, width of belly: 24.2 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 44 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1978
This pot has a wooden body shaped by whittling. It has a powerful rhinoceros painted on one side, a horse and a bird advancing side by side on the other side.
2.Lacquered zhi with gold-inlaid dragon-phoenix design
The Western Han Dynasty
Height: 10.9 cm, diameter of lid: 9.5 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 3 at Wuzuofen, Guanghua in 1973
This vessel has a wooden body shaped by bending. It is decorated with a needle-etching design inlaid with gold-dust. There is a flying dragon carved on the surface of the lid, and a phoenix carved on its inside. The body is adorned on the outside with such images as leopards, cranes, rabbits, demigods and birds on peaks and among clouds. The vessel is the oldest gold-inlaid lacquered article ever discovered in China.
3. Lacquered eared cup with colored fish design
The Western Han Dynasty
Height: 6.2 cm, length of major axis of mouth: 20.1 cm, width (ears included): 15.7 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 1 at Maojiayuan, Jiangling in 1986
The cup has a whittled wooden body, with one phoenix and three fishes painted in gold, red and blue on the inside bottom. The design was clear and colorful when the cup was unearthed, but the colors have faded.
4. Lacquered round case with colored dragon-cloud design
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 18.5 cm, diameter of lid: 21.2 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 11 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1975
The case has a whittled wooden body, with needle-etching and branded characters on it.
5. Lacquered rectangular case with colored design and snout-shaped ears
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 8.3 cm, length: 18.5 cm, width: 9.9 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 43 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1978
The case has a whittled wooden body. The ears are painted to look like pigs’ snouts, with pigs’ eyes painted on the top. There are branded characters on the outside.
6. Lacquered bowl with colored phoenix-fish design
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 8.8 cm, mouth diameter: 29 cm, bottom diameter: 16 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 11 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1975
The case has a whittled wooden body, with two fishes and a phoenix standing on one foot painted on the inside bottom, and a branded character and three needle-etching ones on the outside bottom.
7. Lacquered round plate with colored phoenix design
The Western Han Dynasty
Height: 6 cm, mouth diameter: 26 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 28 at Gaotai, Jingzhou
The plate has a whittled wooden body. There are three phoenixes with pink bodies and golden eyes flying among ten stripes of dragon-cloud patterns on the inside. The colors are bright and the design is beautiful.
8. Lacquered phoenix-shaped spoon with colored design
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 13.3 cm, length: 14.8 cm, width: 10.6 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 9 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1975
The spoon is made of wood, with the bowl carved into the body of a phoenix and the handle into its head and neck, and the eyes, nose, ears and feathers painted with red and brown lacquer. Below the tail are branded characters.
9. Round dressing case with colored phoenix design
The Qin Dynasty
Height: 8 cm, diameter of lid: 17 cm
Unearthed from Tomb No. 7 at Shuihudi, Yunmeng in 1975
The case is made of wood, with the body shaped by bending. There is a galloping phoenix painted at the center of the lid.
The lacquered article was one of the greatest inventions in ancient China, and one of the most characteristic of ancient Chinese cultural relics. Hubei is rich in lacquered article relics mainly because of the abundance in varnish trees and high ground water level.
The lacquer, resistance to acid, alkali, high temperature, damp and corrosion, could be applied to articles made of wood, bronze, pottery, leather, ramie fabric or bamboo. It could be used to coat daily articles and furniture as well as ritual vessels, music instruments and funerary articles, covering a variety of aspects of life in ancient times. The great number of lacquered articles discovered by archeologists opened up an important field in the studies of art and culture in ancient China.
