HISTORY OF THE MAZARIN CHEST
Lacquer at the V&A
Cylindrical box, China, 15th century. Museum no. FE.24-1974 (click image for larger version)
The V&A has an important and substantial collection of lacquer. This includes Asian, Islamic and European japanned wares (objects made to imitate East Asian lacquer). While it is probably no exaggeration that the V&A has one of the most important collections of Japanese lacquer outside Japan, it is also renowned for its collection of Chinese and Burmese lacquer.
A large proportion of the V&A's lacquer collection was acquired through the gifts and bequests of various individuals, largely between the years 1910 and 1922. The most important benefactors include George Salting, William Cleverley Alexander and his three daughters, Lillian E. Sage, in memory of her husband Edward Mears Sage, Richard A. Pfungst and, most recently, Sir Harry and Lady Garner. During the early, formative years of the V&A, items of lacquerware were donated by Queen Victoria (reigned 1837-1901) and the Daimyo of Satsuma. A number of items of lacquerware were also purchased from the Japanese section of the 1867 Paris International Exhibition.
Inro, signed Koma Kansai, 1775-1850. Museum no. W.254-1921 (click image for larger version)
The V&A's collection of Japanese lacquer numbers around 2,500 pieces, of which about 800 are lacquered inro (small, highly decorated containers that were worn suspended from the sash). The majority of objects date from the Edo period (1615-1868), which witnessed an enormous creative outpouring in the craft of lacquering. In recent years, the V&A has also pursued an active policy of acquiring examples of Japanese lacquer made by leading contemporary artists.
The V&A holds a unique and internationally acclaimed collection of Japanese export lacquer dating from the 1630s and early 1640s. Due to this extremely high quality of workmanship, only a very small number of such objects were produced. Despite their scarcity, the V&A has four items in this style, together with parts of a fifth: the Van Diemen Box, a casket in renaissance form, a small wedding casket, the Mazarin Chest, and panels from what is thought to have been another chest of comparable size and quality.