Differences and Commonalities: Links between Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Coromandel Export Lacquer Pieces and Luso-Asian Lacqueres of the Previous Century

Description

From the late 17th century onward, apart from domestic Chinese clients, quantities of pieces embellished with the unique Coromandel lacquer technique turned into sought-after luxury commodities among the affluent strata in Europe. Large amounts of Coromandel screens, furniture or panels reached European and other destinations via the newly opened Qing export trade. Variously assembled exotic depictions show Europeans, their strange habits and fashion, inserted into Chinese landscapes and palace settings combining quotations of different origins. Pictorial schemes also include influences of the first encounter with Europeans and their multicultural partners under Portuguese patronage, portrayed a century earlier in Luso-Asian and Nanban art.
Both groups are European commissions, with the difference that Coromandel lacquer reached Europe through export trade, while Luso-Asian pieces primarily served Europeans active in Asia. Only occasionally unique pieces of small-sized furniture or liturgical items were shipped to Europe by royal request, as diplomatic gifts, or returned with their owners.
Apart from the Luso-Asian lacquers combining a variety of techniques distinct to the Coromandel type “engraved polychrome”, all appear mentioned in the 16th century Chinese treatise on lacquer Xiushilu. Further, both share a relatively short production period and various material cohesions, where the presence of all three main lacquer types (urushi, laccol, thitsi) in their coatings stands out. Together they illustrate the processes through which the presence of Catholic Europeans and later European trade companies impacted southern Chinese export art, the lacquer craft and its visual concepts, and how Chinese artisans adjusted to their foreign clients.

Period	23 Nov 2024
Held at	Department of Chinese and History, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Degree of Recognition	International