Chinese Carved Cinnabar Mirror, Circa 1920

Description

Absolutely gorgeous and rare Antique Chinese Elaborately Carved Cinnabar Mirror, Circa 1920. Stunning carvings along the frame with a beautiful … more Absolutely gorgeous and rare Antique Chinese Elaborately Carved Cinnabar Mirror, Circa 1920. Stunning carvings along the frame with a beautiful gold-leaf hand painted pattern on the back of the mirror. This is truly an exceptional piece.

Although lacquer is used in many Asian cultures, the art of carving lacquer is unique to China. Lacquer is the resin (or sap) of a family of trees (rhus verniciflua) found throughout southern China. It is an amazing material that hardens when exposed to oxygen and becomes a natural plastic that is resistant to water and can withstand heat and certain acids.

This carved lacquer, which is predominantly red, is often known as "cinnabar" lacquer, a reference to the use of this powdered mercury sulphide as the primary colorant. Like all lacquer objects, carved pieces have a base that is usually made of turned wood: it is the lacquer that is worked and not the underlying material. In the carved-lacquer technique, multiple layers (often thirty or thirty-five, but at times up to two hundred) are applied onto a substructure in the shape of the frame and exposed to air and dried, and carved to create lush nature motifs. less