Brilliance crafted in Black and Gold

LAI ROT NAM 

When on a Wat visit in Thailand , you  just cant miss those door and window panes- many a time, protected by an overlay of plexiglass . You can tell right away that they are precious . Not just expensive in material value alone . Precious because of the intricacy of the craft , sometimes because of the age and always because they are a labour of love and piety , offered to The Lord as a reconfirmation of Faith . 

The traditional Thai decorative Art of Gold leaf inlay on Black Lacquered  wood  originated  during the Ayutthya Period ( 14 th to 18th Century ) reaching the highpoint of creativity in 17th Century . When the capital shifted to Bangkok (Rattinakosin Era, 18th Cent ) , the art was modified with Chinese influences , while Chiang Mai , in the north , preserved the traditional  Thai technique . To this day , the Chiang Mai label is assurance of the highest quality of work. 

The process : 

1. A wooden or bamboo base is coated  with multiple layers of Raq or Black  Lacquer ( also called True Lacquer ), which is the sap of The Burmese Laq tree ( Melanorrhoea usitata ) and left to dry. Sometimes, when the bamboo base is delicate , cotton fabric is stuck over it for reinforcement.
2. The required design is traced on to the prepared base . 
3. A gummy water soluble yellow paste is then applied to all areas that are required to remain black . 
4. Finally, one layer of lacquer is applied all over, covering everything . When it is  semi dried, goldleaf is patted down over the entire surface. 
5. This is left to dry for  whole day and then washed in cold water . All the gum,  along with the gold on it , will be washed away leaving only the design gilded in gold intact . The rest of the area is black . The name Lai Rot Nam refers to this last stage when , after washing in water , the beautiful designs emerge . 

This decorative art was much used in the  making of cabinets and chests  for storing precious manuscripts . The Raq helped to keep off insects . The manuscript chests or shelves were placed in pavilions that stood on stilts in water , to prevent creept crawlies from getting to them . It seemed quite a natural progrsssion to apply lacquer , and gilding , to the walls and doors  of such pavilions too . 

Later , the decorative art was applied to all things of utility . Door and window panes and frames, bowls , boxes , furniture, walls , anything wooden could be beautified with the rich , glossy black and gold ornamentation . The goldleaf  used is 99.9% pure Yellow Gold for religious items or the 97% Red Gold variety . Setting gems in the design is a later development . 

Occassionally , red lacquer is used for background , but it does not give the same rich look as black does . 

Silver  and mother of pearl  are also used in place of gold . The National Museum in Bangkok has  stunning Lai Rot Nam antiques on display , which inspite of the age , remain as brilliant as they were when created . 

It is laborious , time consuming work , yet amazingly , a profusion of artefacts keep getting made . 

During modern times , the technique has been used in making jewelry and souvenirs too. 

(Antique Lanna bowl , Chiang Mai )

Some of the older Wats have antique lacquerware doors and windows in very good condition . Reportedly , the designs used can indicate, to informed viewers ,  the period and provenance of the work . 

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