Scientific analysis and craftsmanship research on a Kuancai lacquer screen:a case study of the Six-Curved Marked Lacquer Screen with Figures of Birthday Celebrations from the Kangxi Period in the collection of CUHK
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(1. The Palace Museum, Beijing 100009, China;2. Conservation Office, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong, China)

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    Abstract:

    The Kuancai lacquer screen is one of the categories of lacquered furniture and is produced using Kuancai polychrome lacquering technique. This technique is primarily applied in the production of large-scale screens, and was especially prevalent during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This study applied multiple scientific detection and analysis methods to the Six-Curved Marked Lacquer Sereen with Figures of Birthday Celebrations from the Kangxi Period in the collection of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The analyzed samples mainly included materials from the screen body and decorative layers. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was used to identify and analyze organic materials in the samples. Additional methods, including microscopy, ultraviolet fluorescence and infrared imaging photography, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), infrared spectrometry and Raman spectrometry were employed for wood identification, and for cross-sectional and compositional analyses of the samples. The comprehensive results indicate that the main structure of the screen consists of a wooden body, fiber layer, ash ground layer, paint layer, pigment layer, and later repair layers. The wooden body was identified as cypress. The fiber layer was composed of paper and hemp fibers. The ground layer primarily consisted of sand, stone and pig blood. The pigment layer was mainly composed of mineral pigments and vegetable oil, with the identified pigments including cinnabar, azurite and malachite.

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History
  • Received:December 01,2025
  • Revised:April 14,2026
  • Adopted:
  • Online: July 13,2026
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