Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer

The Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer (RAdICAL) project shared recent discoveries made at Getty about Asian and European lacquers, including new techniques to identify their composition. Through workshops and online materials, scientists and conservators from institutions around the world are learning to apply new analytical techniques to lacquer objects.

This collaborative work promotes the understanding and preservation of lacquer and uncovers conservation issues and priorities for future research.

• Seventy-two scientists and conservators trained through four workshops (2012-2017)
• Workshops held in North America and Europe
• Curriculum adapted to China's specific work environment for a 2024 workshop at the Palace Museum in Beijing

Lacquer has a central and valued place in the arts of Asia, with a history of production that began in 5000 BCE in Asia and a more recent history of trade, collection, and imitation in Europe, where lacquer arrived in the 16th century. While the traditions surrounding its production are generally well appreciated, constituent materials and particular techniques in Asia vary enormously depending on geography, available raw materials, and historical context. European lacquered objects and imitations introduce another layer of complexity. Without thorough characterization, it can be difficult to identify different types of lacquers and to understand the implications for preservation.

Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (2013); Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (2014); Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the Ateliergebouw, Rijksmuseum (2017); Palace Museum, Beijing, China (2024)