Part Three: Chu and Other Cultures   Table of Contents | Start Section
More about   Excavations at the Tomb of Marquis Yi, Lacquer

More about Lacquer

Lacquer is produced from a resin extracted from the lac tree, which is native to China and the region where Chu culture flourished. As a medium, lacquer has many advantages. It is durable, offers a lightweight, protective coating, is heat and water resistant, and acts as an adhesive. The process of preparing and applying lacquer in many thin layers was an extremely laborious and hazardous one, which is why it was used chiefly for luxury items. Lacquer had obvious benefits for such objects as bowls, cups, and furniture, and it was also employed to seal and preserve coffins.

Lacquer has been used in China since Neolithic times, but survives less often than ceramics, jade, or bronze in tomb excavations. A number of lacquered objects, however, remain from the Warring States period (especially from the Chu area around the central Yangzi basin). Some, like the lacquers in Zenghou Yi's tomb (see Excavations of the Tomb of Marquis Yi), which were preserved because the tomb was waterlogged, have survived due to lucky accidents. More often, though, preservation can be attributed to the manner in which Chu tombs were constructed: Pits were generally dug vertically or in the shape of inverted pyramids, and several coffins were placed in a chamber, supported by thick beams. The chamber was enveloped in a layer of fine clay and packed in with earth. Whereas other tombs in ancient China contained grave goods distributed throughout the pit area, Chu coffins and goods were neatly packed into subdivided chambers, which helped prevent fragile lacquered objects from degrading.

Late Prehistoric China | Bronze Age China | Chu and Other Cultures | Early Imperial China

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