Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-06-29
JAPANESE L4CQUsR WORK.
The Govern mept Etqui.es ihs Planting +
the Gum Trsss

the Gum IrSSS
Baltimore american.
The runs vernic.iera, an evergreen tree
from which the lac snd gun IS cptaired,
is ctltiqs;ed a every section o. Jlpsr.
As long $50 as the 5 s. , century SO cdtcC
Of the Emperor TsqGl-sd every l@lG-
holder 20 H.Grt & certain proportion Of
his acreage with mis- isCqIC- zee, Is, IS
he was compelled 70 cultivate aod main-
tain certain Lumbor OF mulberry trees,
and but for his government upport
il is doubtful II the ait, even then widely
praCtiCed would h7ye attained Its great
perfection. Every tree, when taOped to
ootain It's gum, died N The course q Two
years. The amount obtained from tree
five years Old seldom exceeded three
ounces. In the mountainous districts
the tree YVES Of slower growth, and VAS
permitted 20 grow ior ten gears before
the gun WAS drained. The gum varied
in qusIity according to the part Of tie tree
which exuCed II, thst from the tTigs be-
ing most esteemed and drying win -upe-
EioI hardness.
Among other uses n Varr remote
periods lacquer served n finishing cot
fls, probably for oTuamGutE..Cn IS much
SIS because it rendered the wood impervi+
GUS to moisture, but its everyday uses
were those which gradually raised It
more and mere to plsCe among the arts.
The gum, when applied to the prepared
wood, can be prepared with either Gil or
water Modern lsCqaers contain scarcely
trace CT the true gum, Snd hence il
comes that they do rot possess the en-
during quslicies or beEuy Of older work.
-1+E Cf no
wood and does not charge appearance
from subj lection to water or neat.
The most conclusive test OF this prop
erty WAS il 1873, VIXEN the steamer n le,
returning to japan, with the specimen
purchased for the YeGdo museum, foun-
dered in twenty-five iatncm5 Ct wster
Eighteen mouths sitter divers employed
~ the government recovered 200 cases
from the steamer, AID the ancient lac
quers were SIS perfect in 5ints, color snd
polish SIS when they left the hands Of
their makers.
1t is worthy OF note that although the
woods most valGsble as : basis Of lac
quer work are rot OF those which have
! ever been esteemed the most vsiusble
for their durability, yet when imprisoned
In the cos.ings of this gum they have re-
NAMED SIS sound for centuries as when
first fashioned. And this is true Of many
specimens 700 yesrs old, examples Of
VIII CD may be seen in the cases Of the
Walters galleries.
The finest Ilscquers known are those
made between 1850 and 1860. II is
claimed for these tbst the wood WAS pre-
payed By boiling and heating, gold leaf
being pounded into the fbres of the wood
until it would receive no more. Upon
such 8 foundation the successive coats OF
gun were carefully applied. NJ more
than thirty-three stages Of treatment
were given snd offer the numbsE. WAS
Sky. Owing to the presence ofamstst-
ure in the lac end, possibly. slsoFin the
! foundation itself, the costs OF gumfsJ re-
quired protection mat the hErdeniegsnd
drying might take place slowly. TO &C
! compnsh this newly vsrnishe tkpfeC &c
were encased in damp box, wh6fe they
remained a full month-the shortest in
terval permitted between TWO stages Of
treatment. Polishing followed esch coat
o! ioc.
| The golden grains which seem to float
In the thickest Of the lac and which are
filings highly silted on the fresh varnish
ere not S tswdry display of yellow metal,
| out represent And become an imperish-
able body Of harmonious cclor, which
cannot be rivaled in painting or porce-
lain. To produce full palette Of such
metallic colors for lacquer work is sn art
unknown outside Of Japan; yet there are
specimens IN which ITO tones Of metallic
color may DE counted. There are also
names for twelve varieties of different
SIZES in metallic powders Although this
is intricate enough for ordinary art indus
tries, the artistic part OF lScquers can
Only be begun whel this mechanical pSrt
is thoroughly mastered. Wlen the
ground has been primed AMI polished and
powdered End repolished before proceed
ing with other costs CT lsc, the design
must be begun.
Uolike painting, where change Of pig
ment makes change Of color, in fne
lacquer relief is given snd is emphas. ID
more by change in the size OF metallic
powders than by color. 1t hiss been of.er
asserted that the foundation wood Of
lscquers was carved 10 produce the relief
This msy be true TO some extent II
iDcruststions Of bronze, silver, pearl OIL
porcelain, not otherwise. The relief /:
usually built up win rOthirg else thar
} repeated coats Of the thin lac vsrnish
, These costs are each subjected 70 tn:
same slow process Of drying and to tht
accurate polishing which nskes then
appear complete in every stage OF pro
gress.
In many specimens the lncrustations o
. mother f-pearl have been accurately sd
sf5usted to tina thickness Of the coats c
! eIacquer till the surface is Uniform ont
n only the eye csn distinguish where tn
different substances 1oic; in other seX