Ganpao Dry Brewing Tea Table, Lacquer Painting, Size M, 40×12×2 cm

The Ganpao dry-brewing tea table in size M is a 40×12×2 cm board finished with painted urushi lacquer. It sits between the compact S and the long L: room for a teapot and a couple of cups, and dry brewing needs no drain.

About urushi lacquer

Urushi lacquer is tapped from trees of the sumac family and has been in use since the Neolithic — black-lacquered objects were made as early as 7000 BC. The natural sap, a strong allergen while raw, becomes completely safe after polymerisation. It is used to coat ware that meets boiling water, and it is the same resin used in the kintsugi repair technique.

History of the craft

Lacquer craftsmanship in China flourished until the decline of the Northern Song, then was nearly forgotten, and revived under the Qing. In the late 17th century the woodworking master Shen Shaoan (1767–1835) refined his pieces so far that he built them from lacquer alone, without any frame.

Modern painting

Today makers blend raw lacquer with mineral pigments and add sand, eggshell and mother-of-pearl. As it polymerises the lacquer forms domain structures that naturally build complex abstract patterns.