Lacquer Furniture Repair and Japanning

The conservation and restoration of lacquer is widely regarded to be the finest and most labour intensive of all restoration techniques. It is important to understand the many guises that lacquer may appear in.

True Lacquer or Urushi, derives its name from the sap of the Rhus Vernicifera tree which contains Urushiol gum. This form of lacquer is the finest of all and is used on Japanese, Chinese and Korean artwork and furniture.

Shell Lac, more commonly known as Shellac, is the excretion from the Lac insect, which is indigenous to the central Asian plateau. The Lac is refined and diluted with spirits to produce a fine varnish like liquid.

Japanning is the European art of lacquering and must highlighted that this has no true connection with real lacquer itself. This technique was refined by the English in the mid 17th century and later by the Martins Brothers in France. Japanning is an art form in itself and today is looked upon with as much admiration as true lacquer.

We at Titian's have over the years restored, conserved and undertaken lacquer furniture repair in all its forms and are proud to be perfecting our skills on pieces ranging from ceremonial lacquer cabinets to Russian snuff boxes.