Laquerware can be found as far west as India’s Assam to the eastern shores of Vietnam, the region has been producing laquerware for centuries for daily as well as ritual tools and implements.
Lanna laquerware is hailed as some of the finest in the region, for its unique and attention to fine details. Today lower quality laquerware can be found in shops from hotel giftshops to Night Bazaar street stalls. But most of the high quality antique laquerware tends to be held in private collections around the world, with probably the largest collection being held in a private collection in Switzerland.
If you are interested in laquerware, then contact Withi Panichpant of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, who has amassed a study collection for the university over the past twenty years and is happy to take you around the museum – by appointment only – should you have interest in learning more about this unique local craft. His collection comprises pieces from over the past two centuries from all over South East Asia, and while not the finest pieces, a very good collection which is useful for those interested in the study of laquerware. The museum is not glamorous, nor particular well maintained, but with Withi as your guide, you are bound to gain pithy and fascinating information. If possible, he prefers group viewings.
For more information, please contact:
Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University
Open Hours: Office hours, Mondays to Fridays
Tel: 053 944 805
Email: [email protected]