Chinese lacquer

Yesterday, I X-rayed a Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) red and black
lacquered bowl. The result was very interesting, it appears that the
inside is made of two types of wood: most of the bowl is a not so
dense wood; the rim, just a centimetre or so, however is made of a
much denser wood and the image is twice as opaque despite being half
a millimetre thinner. Nothing at all of this is noticeable from the
outside. I cannot do destructive testing; the artefact does not
belong to the museum. Has anyone else noticed this or can shed more
light on it?

Paul Harrison
Metal Conservator, Hong Kong Govt


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:64
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 24, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-14-64-009
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