Study of 16thand 17thcentury lacquered Luso-Asian artifacts –Uncovering complex dynamics of cross-cultural exchange reflected in their heterogeneous composition

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Abstract

Catholic European presence in 16thand 17thcentury Asia,under the patronage of the Portuguese Crown,linked varied ports of South, Southeast and East Asia via the Luso-Asian networks of maritime trading routes, commercial ventures, diplomatic relations, and missionary work. On various levels resulted manifold circulations that promoted exchange and mutual influences in the scope of European-Asian and inter-regional encounters. Indigenous crafts adapted to foreign tastes and needs, heterogeneous artifacts and new artistic styles emerged that well illustrate cultural, religious, and artistic intermingling promoted by cross-cultural interaction.

One result are lacquered Luso-Asian artifacts, including parade shields, portable furniture, as well as religious items.Though variously classified in the past, their inconsistent characteristics called for deeper examination and inspired multi-disciplinary research. The striking results revise our understanding of the commission and circulation of these artifacts—heterogeneous creations, combining craft contributions and stylistic influences of multiple cultural spheres.

Several examples of lacquered Luso-Asian religious items ordered and employed all above by the Society of Jesus in their mission in China and elsewhere manifest present craft contributions and stylistic influences from India, China,and Japan. Notable are articles that mimic Japanese nanban ornamental schemes but employ Chinese traditional techniques and motifs. To equip their various missions, the Jesuits, promoter of various circulations,commissioned liturgical implements to evangelize local populations, often taking advantage of the already existing production of devotional items settled around Goa and local lacquer arts of Japan or China, using the maritime trading routes that linked Lisbon, Goa, Macao,and Nagasaki. Indicating a stylistic confluence within the framework of the Jesuit missions in Asia, these religious pieces point to the Portuguese base of Macau—the strategic center of Jesuit activities and refuge of many Christians after their expulsion from Japan in the early 17th century.

In depth material analysis uncovered not only hints to early modern circulation of people, raw materials, spiritual beliefs, and esthetic conventions that are not decipherable on first sight.By identifying employed materials and layer structures, it further revealed causes of present states of conservation and degradation patterns standard to simplified lacquer formulations, reduced layer sequences and hasty production. This information is crucial for appropriate choices of materials and methods to be employed in conservation projects to preserve them.

Biography

Ulrike Körber, conservator and integrated researcher at IHA – NOVA FCSH Lisbon, combines advanced study in art history with previous training as a journeyman cabinetmaker (2002, Handelskammer Potsdam, Germany), and as a conservator of wooden artifacts and furniture (2008, FH-Potsdam, Germany).

Since her first contacts with Asian lacquer at the José de Figueiredo Laboratory (JFL) in Lisbon in 2006, she is fascinated by this complex material. Artifacts she encountered during various projects in Lisbon led her to focus on 16^th and 17^th century Luso-Asian lacquered items manufactured for Catholic European commission, which feature the transfer and transformation of motifs, iconography, materials, and techniques. Variously classified as Indo-Portuguese, Nanban, Singalo-Portuguese, Chinese or Ryūkyūan (today’s Okinawa), the inconsistency with which they fit their assigned categories, mixed materials and techniques, exposed pathologies, and the question of attribution raised curiosity and led to the first collaborative material investigation at the JFL and to her in-depth multidisciplinary PhD research. This received analytical support at the Getty Conservation Institute as part of the RAdICAL international Asian lacquer project.

Her thesis: The Journey of Artifacts: The Study and Characterization of a Nucleus of Lacquered Luso-Asian Objects from the 16th and 17th Centuries (University of Evora, 2019) examined a broader group of diverse parade shields, portable furniture and religious items embellished with East Asian lacquer. By identifying the craft traditions mingled on individual pieces, it revealed unexpected patterns of circulation.

A conservator in private practice in Lisbon, she collaborates with various international institutions. From November 2022 to March 2023, she is conducting research at the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore as a post-doc research fellow.