Conservation of the Mazarin Chest

Treatment of the Mazarin Chest is taking place within the Conservation Department at the V&A. Whilst restoration seeks to return things to a previous, more perfect state, conservation seeks to minimise deterioration and pass the object on to the future with as little permanent change as possible.

The first step in the conservation of the Mazarin Chest was to understand as much as possible about how it was made.

Japanese lacquer

Lacquer (urushi) has been used to produce both utilitarian objects and works of art in Japan for millennia. Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the Rhus vernicifera (Toxicodendron vernix) tree, a species of the family Anacardiaceae. Sap is harvested, processed, and then used to create lacquer objects. Each stage of each process is complex. More information can be found at the following websites:

• The Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts describes the harvesting, manufacture and decoration techniques of Japanese lacquer.
• Tradtional Crafts of Japan describes the regional characteristics of Japanese lacquer.

Mazarin Chest: decoration techniques

The Mazarin Chest is one of the finest pieces of Japanese export lacquer to have survived from the first half of the seventeenth century. The high quality of this piece is clearly evident in its lavish decoration, which is executed to an astonishing level of detail using a wide range of lacquer techniques.