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Lacquer in the Royal Collection
Exquisite examples of Japanese, Chinese and Indian lacquer
Chest
early seventeenth centuryRCIN 39244
Namban lacquer was a form of Japanese lacquer made specifically for European export. This type of lacquer was only made during Japan's Momoyama period (1573–1615); production ceased when Japan closed its borders during the Edo period (1615–1868). Informed by European tastes, this style employed black lacquered wood decorated in gold lacquer and extensive mother-of-pearl. These materials were used to depict geometric borders as well as abstracted motifs of foliage.