by Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
Scripps Howard News Service
Coromandel is a Chinese art form used to decorate furniture. The most common pieces that are decorated are screens, chests and occasional tables. The technique involves applying layers of wet clay to the wood, baking them in order to harden the clay, then applying several layers of lacquer. Once the lacquer dries, intricate patterns are carved on to the furniture, which is then painted with a protective finish.
This process sounds simple when described, but in practice it is quite a complicated process. One screen takes four to six weeks to complete. Originally, the process took even longer when only one craftsman did one piece. Now, several artisans work on one piece, almost in production line-type fashion, with the more complicated designs being done by the senior artisan and the less intricate parts by novices.
To complicate the process even further, the surface of Coromandel is both hard and slippery, requiring a highly trained person to handle the carving knife. And therein lies the secret to determining the quality of the piece. Examine the lines in the pattern. Are the curved lines flowing and smooth? They are harder to carve than the straight lines, so there is one telltale sign to look for. Fine lines are tougher to achieve than the thicker ones.
If a Coromandel piece has a lot of broken lines in it, it is less desirable. The imperfections do not enhance this art, as is sometimes the case in other artistic media. Broken lines in Coromandel indicate that the artisan was inexperienced or that the mixture of clay had too much water in it, making it susceptible to chipping and cracking.
Here's a little trivia: The Chinese name for Coromandel lacquer is 'ke hui'. It was in the Ming Dynasty that Coromandel was first created.
(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, is president of Rosemary Sadez Friedmann Inc. in Naples, Fla.)
Resources American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
608 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002-6006
Phone: 202-546-3480
Fax: 202-546-3240
E-mail:
asid@asid.org
Website:
www.asid.org
interior design services - Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, Inc.
Naples, FL 34102
Phone: 941-261-5944
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