The Refined Grace of Lustrous Lacquer

The ingenuity and grace of the ancient lacquerware creations are celebrated on our book covers portraying masterful examples of 19th century Japanese lacquer boxes made during the Edo or the Meiji period. Selected from a private collection in Kyoto, these boxes are lacquered in the Maki-e tradition, in which sap from the lacquer tree is sprinkled with metallic powder, such as gold, silver or copper to create luxurious designs. Over the centuries, craftspeople learned to use this sap, which hardens to a brilliant, hard gloss coating, as a finish to decorate and protect favoured wood and paper objects. These fine lacquered surfaces are evidence of the uniquely human ability to create beauty from an unlikely source.