Stationery box

This box is the only work in the exhibition without any surface decoration. It is simply covered in red lacquer and accented by its hinges and metal fittings. The elaborate hinges and lock add to its elegance, especially the specifically shaped hinges on the side corners that strengthen the two wooden plates and prevent gaps. To create the red color, the lacquer artisan mixed pigments such as iron oxide or mercury sulfide into the transparent lacquer. Different kinds of lacquer are produced from natural raw lacquer as they undergo several steps of being filtered, heated, and mixed with additives. Through these laborious processes, the raw lacquer achieves transparency, hardness, and consistency—qualities that make intricate, painterly designspossible on its surface.