Introduction to Chinese and Japanese lacquer and japanning
- Japanese lacquer was first imported to Europe during the seventeenth century, but it was not until the following century that it started to gain ground and garner great interest. The original western passion for collecting these precious objects was quickly followed by first attempts by local craftsmen to reinterpret the oriental technique, through familiar shellacs and resins, giving rise to a new type of European decoration. Japanning as Venetian lacquer was to acquire an important status, becoming the symbol of a period. The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of these techniques and the variety of styles through the use of different decoration types such as mother of pearl, gilding and japanning.