Tang Lacquerware Craft

Timeline

1. c. 700–755Chang'an · Xi'anHigh Tang lacquerware production expanded in scale, with raised lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay, and dry-lacquer statuary maturing; lacquer cosmetic boxes, screens, and Buddhist statues for the court and nobility inherited Han and Wei techniques while becoming ever more ornate, laying the foundation for the golden age of Tang lacquer art.
2. c. 780–850Chang'an · Xi'anGold-and-silver pingtuo reached maturity in the mid-Tang: extremely thin gold and silver foil was cut into patterns, adhered with lacquer, then repeatedly lacquered, ground, and polished until the designs showed through; it was widely applied to bronze mirrors, lacquerware, and furniture decoration, inheriting the Han and Wei lacquer-painting tradition.
3. c. 860–900Famen Temple, Fufeng · Fufeng CountyIn the 15th year of Xiantong a pair of lacquered pingtuo mi-se porcelain bowls was sealed in the Famen Temple crypt: their outer walls lacquered with gold-and-silver floral and bird medallions, rim and foot wrapped in silver—a rare treasure combining lacquer, gold-and-silver work, and mi-se porcelain, embodying the peak of late Tang composite decoration.