Mother-of-Pearl Inlays in the History of Asia: History of the Technique and of Mutual Influences

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520129
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Aesthetics/Art history
• Research Institution: Independent Administrative Institution National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
• Principal Investigator: KOBAYASHI Koji 独立行政法人国立文化財機構東京文化財研究所, その他部局等, 室長 (70195775)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 螺鈿史 / アジア / 対外交流史 / 技術 / 漆 / 樹脂 / 象嵌 / mother of pearl

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For the main aim of this study; understanding total history of mother-of-pearl inlay in Asia, this author has researched mother-of-pearl inlay objects and making technique and tried to present its result as soon as possible.
The author conducted research by this grant in Asian countries and also in the US and European countries. Some of these research results are as followings; 1) Consideration about cutting technique of shell and the reason why Urushi or natural resin was chosen for making ornamented mirrors in the Tang dynasty. 2) Consideration about some important technical changes, such as shell kinds change or technical change for making curved shell line or others, which might be occurred in the former or middle Chosun dynasty. 3) Submission of working hypothesis about Japanese Export Lacquer chronology, generally called as Namban lacquer through lecterns in the Momoyama age, which were mostly made in former half of the 17th century.

Free Research Field

物質文化史