In today's instant-gratification culture, it's difficult to imagine the patience required to make a piece of lacquerware. Taking its name from the lacquer tree, lacquerware objects such as boxes, vases, and pieces of furniture are made from applying layer upon layer of painstakingly treated lacquer sap to a base of cloth or wood. Once applied by brush or immersion, the sap, which is thinned with tung oil and colored with minerals such as Continue Reading