Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

760 Conservation of Furniture
sive (if the surface is sufficiently robust to withstand
it) to reduce the gloss of such a coating.
It may be tempting to imitate the original
surface using traditional japanning materials
and techniques. However, for most losses the
risk of damage to the surrounding area from
the solvents and abrasive is too high. In the
future it may also become difficult to distinguish
the original surface from the later restoration.
However, it is still a viable option for
replacing missing parts or large isolated areas
on a piece of furniture. Using chemical analysis
of the existing japanning and a thorough
understanding the original formulas, one can
reproduce japanning quite close in appearance
to the original (Walch, 1997).
16.8 Lacquered (urushi) furniture
16.8.1 Introduction and definition
The term lacquer is very non-specific and can
encompass Oriental lacquer (called urushi in
Japan), surfaces created in the West to simulate
the appearance of Oriental lacquer (called
japanning in Britain and North America), and is
also applied to modern synthetic coatings such
as nitrocellulose. The decorative surface discussed
here is Oriental lacquer created from the
sap of Rhus verniciflua (China, Korea and
Japan), Rhus succedanea (Taiwan and Vietnam)
or Melanorrhoea usitata (Thailand and Burma).
Oriental lacquer is a natural material and as
a result there is considerable variation between
lacquers from different sources. The quality of
lacquer surfaces and objects varies depending
on the raw materials used, methods of preparation,
manufacturing techniques and the
artisan’s skill. The response of the material to
conservation treatments will reflect these variations.
As a general rule, objects made for
export were of a significantly lower quality
than those created for the domestic market. An
exception to this rule was the Japanese export
lacquer produced in the seventeenth century,
e.g. the Mazarin chest (V&A Museum).
Although wood is a common substrate, lacquer
has been applied to metal, leather, ceramic,
turtleshell, ivory, horn and cloth. Decorative
lacquer surfaces are usually pigmented and
may include metal foils or powders, ivory,
coral or mother-of-pearl.
Material aspects of Oriental lacquer are discussed
in Chapter 4. The conservation of lacquer
objects has been considered by Webb
(2000). Kumanotani (1988, 1995, 1998) discussed
the chemistry of Oriental lacquer, whilst
Umney (1987a, 1987b) considered chemistry
and conservation. Proceedings of conferences,
such as Barrington and Fryer (1999),
Brommelle and Smith (1988), Kühlenthal
(2000b) and those held by the Tokyo National
Research Institute of Cultural Properties (1978,
1980, 1995) cover chemistry, history and conservation
case histories in Japan and the West
using both traditional and non-traditional materials.
Case histories of the conservation treatment
a variety of Oriental lacquer objects have
been presented by Budden and Halahan
(1994), Minney (1994) and Chase et al. (1988),
among others. The corrosion of lead and
lead/tin alloy inlay in lacquer objects is discussed
by Heath and Martin (1988).
16.8.2 Handling lacquer
The best quality lacquer is very durable and, at
least initially, highly resistant to water and
organic solvents. Water forms a small but
essential part of the structure of the lacquer
film. Loss of water due to excessively low relative
humidity will lead to loss of toughness,
an increase in brittleness and changes in barrier
properties to water and oxygen. Exposure
to short wavelength light and UV radiation
causes the surface of the lacquer to become
hydrophilic and results in a reduction of surface
gloss. One consequence of this is the tendency
of residues from ungloved handling to
Figure 16.19 Fingerprint etched into the surface of a
nineteenth century Japanese lacquer writing box