Japanese lacquer chest
Scientific and art-historical research of the Amsterdam Chest
This project entails a scientific and art-historical research of the Amsterdam Chest, a 17th-century Japanese lacquered chest of an exceptionally high standard. The materials, construction techniques and art-historical context of this famous chest will be recorded in detail. Subsequently the chest will undergo a conservation treatment.
About the project
This lacquerware chest of matchless quality is one of the most luxurious specimens that 17th-century Dutch merchants brought back from Japan. The Dutch were able to order exclusive objects of this kind because they were the only European nation with a trading post in Japan. The chest is of a mixed design: the form and the border ornamentation were specifically designed for the Dutch market, but the principal decoration consists of scenes from classical Japanese literature. Landscapes, the hunting party and the palace scene from The Tale of Genji, a classic work of Japanese literature from the early 11th century, are depicted down to the tiniest detail.
Aim of the project
The chest is decorated with high-quality Japanes lacquer (urushi), with mother-of-pearl, silver, gold and tin foil, and powdered gold in many colours and grain sizes. Sunlight has caused minuscule cracking in the lacquer and some of the foils are no longer adhering properly. The first step is to record the wide variety of original materials and construction techniques in great detail, using advanced analytical methods and a study of specialist Japanese literature. Secondly, safe methods must be developed for the removal of Western materials that were added at a later date – such as shellac, beeswax and oil – without damaging the authentic decoration. The lacquer will then be consolidated using Japanese techniques.
Events
International symposium in the Rijksmuseum in 2022, where the research and conservation findings will be shared with specialists and fans of Asian Art and lacquer conservators.
Staff
Paul van Duin
Head of the Wood and Furniture workshop
p.van.duin@rijksmuseum.nl
Menno Fitski
Head of Asian art
m.fitski@rijksmuseum.nl
Yoshihiko Yamashita
Freelance lacquer conservator
Jan Dorscheid
Furniture Conservator
j.dorscheid@rijksmuseum.nl
Related projects
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Lacquer cabinets Huis ten Bosch
Partners and sponsors
The lacquer chest was acquired with support from the BankGiro Loterij, Vereniging Rembrandt and the Jaffé-Pierson Foundation. The conservation was made possible thanks to Rituals and, through the Rijksmuseum Fund, thanks to the Florasina Fund and the legacies of Betty Smit and E.E. 't Hoen.
For this project the furniture conservation studio of the Rijksmuseum collaborates with the Japanese lacquer conservator and researcher Yoshihiko Yamashita
Publications
- The history, making process and conservation of the Amsterdam Japanese lacquer chest, Rijksmuseum, 2022 forthcoming.
- M. Fitski, Japanse lakkist, Bulletin Vereniging Rembandt, 23 (2013) 3, pp. 27-30.
- S. Rivers, B. Pretzel and Rupert Faulkner, (eds), East Asian Lacquer: Conservation, Science and Material Culture, Archetype Books 2011.
- Y. Yamashita en S. Rivers, 'Conservation of shell inlay (raden) on the Mazarin Chest', ICOM-CC 15th triennial meeting, (2008) pp. 1124-1131.