Lacquer

lacquer is a fast drying, high-gloss varnish used as a protective and decorative coating on objects made, usually of wood and known as lacquer ware. It is also used in industrial applications on metal, fabric, leather, and paper. Pigmented lacquer are generally considered to be a type of paint. Lacquers originated in China, perhaps as early as the Zhou dynasty, although the Ming period produced the most diverse and beautiful lacquered objects. Japanese lacquerers probably learned the art from the Chinese.

Although the word lacquer is derived from lac, a resin secreted by an insect (Laccifer lacca) found largely in Southeast Asia, the first true lacquer were exudate collected from the sap of a sumac tree, Rhusvernicifera, native to china, Japan, and the Himalayas. After being boiled down and mixed with coloring pigments on a surface. A soft, smooth wood was usually used as the base of the lacquered object. The wood was coated with pastes made of starch, clay, and resin and then covered with a thin cloth, over which successive layers of lacquer were painted, allowed to dry, and then rubbed to a glossy, smooth polish.