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Japanese Lacquer

Witness the tremendous talent, patience and devotion to detail of the Japanese lacquer artists of the past with works from the Art Gallery’s impressive collection of ancient Japanese lacquer. On exhibition will be lacquer art objects including magnificent Noh masks, statues, containers, writing boxes, sets of inro, ojime and netsuke and smoking boxes.

Lacquer is made from the resinous sap extracted from a certain type of tree which is indigenous only to certain countries in the Far East. It was applied to all sorts of media including wood, bamboo, leather, textile, ceramics and metal bases.

This luminous substance has played an important role in Japanese society from Neolithic times to the present in both its use for utilitarian objects and in display objects. Through its detailed designs, fabrication and functional purposes, the use of lacquer thoroughly reflects the various intricacies of Japanese culture.