AIC's 45th Annual Meeting

Asian lacquer is an ancient art form resulting in a beautiful, hard, gloss material derived from resin that comes from the sap of sumac trees in the Anacardiaceae family (Rivers and Umney 2003). These trees grow in a number of Asian geographical regions. In China this traditional lacquer is known as qi, however, the Japanese term urushi has become commonly accepted for Asian lacquers. Both qi and urushi are made from urushiol sap collected from Toxicodendron verniciflua. Vietnamese and Taiwanese lacquers are made from laccol sap collected from Toxicodendron succedaneum, and thitsiol sap from Gluta usitata is used in Thai and Burmese lacquers. Also depending on the country of origin, other organic materials such as drying oils, persimmon juice, blood, animal glue, wood oil, benzoin and starch are often added to the lacquer to alter working properties, appearance and cost. Minerals and/or organic pigments are often used to add color ("Characterization of European and Asian Lacquers” 2010). Inert organic fillers such as clay or powdered ceramic are often added to thicken and provide body. Urushiol is the main monomeric component of urushi lacquer. Lacquer is applied wet and hardens when exposed to humid air. Molecules in the resin absorb oxygen and form a durable, cross-linked polymer that is impervious to water, salts, acids and alkalis and is insoluble in any solvent (Ma, Lu and Miyakoshi 2014). Often for export lacquerwares, laccol, a much less expensive lacquer, was used while reserving the more costly urushi for lacquerwares that were made to stay in China. This project involved the technical analysis and conservation treatment of a mid-eighteenth century Chinese carved wood lacquer bodhisattva sculpture, thought to be made for a Chinese emperor, and not for export. In order to determine the materials used, method of manufacture, confirm the country of origin, and determine a method of treatment; conservation issues were assessed, and sampling was conducted in appropriate areas of the lacquer for analysis. Examination and analyses were carried out using photographic techniques, x- radiography, optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). The results were then used to consider the types of materials used, the fabrication method, and possibilities of origin and quality; and to formulate a suitable plan for treatment using appropriate conservation materials and methods.