Lacquer Paintings

Not every person is allergic to lacquer or subject to ghost obsession.”

This proverb is widely known in Vietnam. It usually refers to circumstances governed by the laws of fate. Literally, it also realistically and forcefully reflects the mysterious power of “black lacquer.” Lacquer is the resin of certain trees growing only in East Asia whose characteristics vary: Rhus succedanea in Vietnam, Rhus verniciera in Japan and Melanorrhea laccifera in Cambodia. The Vietnamese Rhus succedanea has been known for a long time as the sun tree, an indigenous name.



Lacquer paintings incorporate the traditional colours -- brown, black, red, yellow, white -- and the technique of inlaying egg, crab and snail shells. Innovations include techniques in mixing dyes, the addition of various tones of green to enrich the colour scheme, the drawing of shapes and figures, the use of shade and light with a wide range of different tones, and methods of applying pumice and polishing. Realistic themes depicted in so many works through each historical period convincingly confirm the expressive, inexhaustible resources of lacquer art.