Art Resource - ART201380

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Lacquered toilet box, Han dynasty, c206 BC-c220. This box is painted with cloud scrolls and inlaid with silver. Fantastic heavenly creatures are visible among the lines of the painted scrolls. The manufacture of lacquer pieces required several distinct, very labour-intensive, steps. First, a core was made, usually by hollowing out a piece of wood, or occasionally made from fabric such as with this toilet box. It was then coated with many, very thin layers of lacquer, each taking several days to dry before the next could be applied. After the final layer was dry, the item passed to workmen who specialized in decorative painting or incising of patterns, the application of gilding or metal handles, and a final polishing. By the time of the Han dynasty, the production of lacquer vessels was a centrally managed industry, with specialised labour and mass production in government-owned workshops.
OA, 1940.6-5.1

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART201380

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 1600px × 1164px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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