Cheyul: Traditional Korean lacquer craft
Every time we go on a trip to a new country, we try to cover a bit of the local non-menswear craft alongside the usual tailoring, shirtmaking and shoemaking.
When we were in Japan a couple of years ago, we visited the master blade-maker Sasuke in Sakai. That turned out to be one of our favourite ever experiences, and it set the rest of Japanese craft in some context - their traditional attitude to apprentices, for example.
In Korea last year we did the same, this time visiting Cheyul, the country’s biggest and most modern proponent of traditional lacquer work.
Lacquer is important to Korean heritage: it’s the kind of thing foreign dignitaries are often given as a gift. US President Joe Biden was given a four-drawer chest with red lacquer recently; LVMH’s Bernard Arnault was also given a piece when he visited.
And the work is held up as art - a floor vase made by Cheyul is held by the Met in New York in its Arts of Korea gallery.
The lacquer comes from local trees and is tapped in the same way as maple syrup. It’s clear, but traditionally was dyed black or red, building up to 10 layers in order to create a deep, shimmering effect. Today synthetic dyes are used to create every colour.
The technique also often involves mother-of-pearl, either covering objects or being delicately sliced to create patterns and pictures. This makes some of the results quite feminine, and popular uses today are for a bride’s wedding chest or jewellery and jewellery boxes.
The designs can also be quite floral, which contributes to the same impression - like the inserts and handles on a chest like this.
But Cheyul’s mission is to make the craft relevant as well as protecting it, so they work with current artists to apply it to new objects, such as guitars and tube amps. These pieces, which usually forego mother of pearl, look more masculine as well as more modern.
The big room vase above is similar to the piece at the Met. It has a layer of hemp applied to the surface to create a natural texture, which the millions of slices of mother-of-pearl are then applied to.
Compare that to these lattice chests, which are a modern interpretation of the same design - with an aluminium frame, less organic shape and angular decoration. The same technique is used on a slightly more traditional box below.
The surfaces of those pieces really were stunning in person, and I think more intriguing on a smaller scale as in these boxes. But often the pieces that attracted me most were wooden tables and stools, perhaps because I loved that rich brown of the wood - and pieces with more expressionistic designs, such as this one.
I wasn’t really shopping, as those little boxes were £500 and the furniture is in the thousands (‘price on request’ is never a good sign). But it’s fun to think what you would buy if you could, and it gave us an appreciation of a craft we previously knew nothing about.
That was deepened when Alex [Natt, photographer] and I were surprisingly given the opportunity to make a piece ourselves.
The parameters were, thankfully, limited. We each had a tray and a set of mother-of-pearl cut outs to arrange. It was hard to go wrong.
We did our best though, often dropping slivers of pearl into the wet lacquer, and then finding it hard to turn them the right way up, let alone position them. God knows how anyone could create something precise and on a large scale.
Thankfully, again, Alex neglected to take any photos of the finished result, so you’ll have to imagine our attempts.
There are other makers of lacquer in Korea, but they are generally one or two artisans, and pieces are made to order. Cheyul, which was established in 1988 with a mission to make this craft more widely known, is the only one of any size with stock.
It’s only available in Korea - in their shop, a hotel and a department store - but they apparently plan to expand overseas. There was an exhibition of the work in the Saatchi Gallery in London in 2015.
For now, this is about appreciation of a new craft, and a recommendation to visit the shop if you’re in Seoul - it’s enormous, seemingly small at ground level but then going down and down for four floors.
For more from that Korea trip, see articles here
Lovely way to start the day – those pieces (and what’s one the site) are truly beautiful. Must be great fun thinking which bits to cover on trips abroad and I think it goes really well with the ethos of the site.
Thank you Michael. Yes it is, and I love alternating articles that people expect and love, with unexpected topics like this that still have a lot in common in terms of craft and heritage
It’s got “fall into a black hole of info you’ve never thought of before” written all over it! The research of the topic is such a bit part of the enjoyment I find.
Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s already some people on the on the site who are very well read into this.
On the off chance that there is a reader with familiarity on Korean lacquering, are there other providers outside of Cheyul you would recommend looking at?
Thanks for expanding the craft articles beyond clothing. I wish I had seen this before I went to Seoul earlier this year. And the idea of having people try to make something is brilliant. Everything is harder to make than it appears, so that will help people appreciate the craft.
Good morning..to learn something about the culture of a country gets a huge BRAVO..well done Simon well done..cheers and much peace.. ..
Appreciate the article, thanks! Always nice to learn about something new. I fully support you doing more like this from time to time; I think it enriches the site.
Nice to hear Mike, thanks
Thanks Simon for the article. I would have never know this craft, had I not reading permanent style.
beautiful objects, like work of art.
“guitars and tube amps”
See I was already intrigued, and now I’m chuckling because I want a MOP lacquered Mesa Rectifier so I can play ear crushing riffs while blinding the audience. Does price upon request also mean I can request for it to be affordable? LOL
Ha! Unfortunately not…
Great article on some beautiful pieces. We’re fortunate enough to have some close relationships with our Korean counterparts and have received some stunning lacquerware as gifts over the years. I’ll take a closer look at them again tomorrow. Thank you for the reminding prod.
Simon,
quick question – I note that your black denim shirt is no longer featured in your shop.
have you discontinued it or are you just oos ?
Deaid
Just out of stock
Really cool – and great to read about something different. Those turquoise and pinky-brown pots in the second last picture are stunning!
It was interesting to read the floral designs and mother of pearl described as feminine – not that I disagree, but it is gendering design down traditional lines. I’m drawn to people who can use these motifs in their interiors (or, indeed, fashion) in a way that subverts such gendering – but maybe I say that with bias, as a man who loves an intricate floral…
No it’s an interesting point Alex, I would agree, and good to put it in that context
Great article Simon.
Speaking of guitars, as an amateur/hobbyist luthier, it reminded me of a build by a duo hailing from Korea and using some of these traditional techniques. You can take a sneak peak of their work in this video (and more on their channel) to see the overall look achieved and the possibilities : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYxxd0k4vcQ
Thanks Julien
Hi Simon, completly off-topic but what would you choose if you had decide between a dark-grey or navy peacoat if you mainly wear them with navy, black and sometimes ecru jeans.
Its a bigger investment for me and i cant decide. What would you choose? Both are plain 100% wool without pattern
Here is the grey one https://imgur.com/a/mbMbV9g
Perhaps grey then. Navy is always best in a peacoat for me, but those aren’t so traditional peacoats and the grey looks nice
Simon – as you like fountain pens, you will love the Japanese lacquered pens made by Namiki, Dunhill, Pelikan etc. Functional artistic pieces you can use and cherish on a daily basis.
Thanks James. Yes, I have some lovely pieces myself. Also visited Nakaya pens years ago in Japan. Might be able to do a piece on them if I dig up my notes