Japanning in Spa at the End of the Seventeenth Century to the Middle of the Eighteenth Century: Historical Context and Materials for Lacqueredbois de Spa

Abstract

This study focuses on the very beginning of lacquerware production with chinoiserie decoration in Spa from the end of the seventeenth century to the third quarter of the eighteenth century. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the historical and material-technical context of this important historical lacquer production is elucidated. Archival research was conducted along with a stylistic study of thirty objects, mainly boxes. Furthermore, seventeen of the objects from this study group were chemically analysed for their organic ingredients, pigments and metal applications.

Nontargeted Pattern Recognition in the Search for Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Resin Markers in Historic Lacquered Objects

“…summarized, based on the general analysis of the pyrograms and the study of historical recipes, that they are traditionally sandarac-based, with additions of Pinaceae resin, shellac, and other resins. 43 In 16 objects, the presence of sandarac was evident, featuring many sandarac markers, including the highest ranked features of this study. In the remaining object (B0030), the weak signal of the lowest layers, contaminated with an (probably non-original) oil-based top layer, indicates oil, shellac, and Pinaceae resin.…”

“…During a recent lacquer project, the finishing layers of a collection of 17 boxes bois de Spa (18th century), conserved at the Museé de la ville d'Eaux in Spa and Cinquantenaire museum in Brussels (Belgium), have been analyzed, in one or several locations each. 43 While lacquer composition varies, it can be Figure 3. Details of extracted ion chromatograms (EIC) for most discriminating feature of each resin (SAM1, the best scoring marker to discriminate South American copal from Congo copal, m/z 109 @ 17.30s-RI1904; CON1, the best scoring marker to discriminate Congo copal from South American copal, m/z 189 @ 21.41s-RI2269; MAN1, the best scoring marker to discriminate Manila copal from sandarac, m/z 287 @ 22.15s-RI2269; SAN1, the best scoring marker to discriminate sandarac from Manila copal, m/z 346 @ 21.8s-RI2409).…”

“…When the presence of an ingredient is doubtful, additional markers can help for a better interpretation of historical European lacquer. During a recent lacquer project, the finishing layers of a collection of 17 boxes bois de Spa (18th century), conserved at the Musée de la ville d’Eaux in Spa and Cinquantenaire museum in Brussels (Belgium), have been analyzed, in one or several locations each . While lacquer composition varies, it can be summarized, based on the general analysis of the pyrograms and the study of historical recipes, that they are traditionally sandarac-based, with additions of Pinaceae resin, shellac, and other resins .…”

“…During a recent lacquer project, the finishing layers of a collection of 17 boxes bois de Spa (18th century), conserved at the Musée de la ville d’Eaux in Spa and Cinquantenaire museum in Brussels (Belgium), have been analyzed, in one or several locations each . While lacquer composition varies, it can be summarized, based on the general analysis of the pyrograms and the study of historical recipes, that they are traditionally sandarac-based, with additions of Pinaceae resin, shellac, and other resins . In 16 objects, the presence of sandarac was evident, featuring many sandarac markers, including the highest ranked features of this study.…”