The five-day course in European Chinese lacquer, japanning and gilding is a highly technical and creative course open to all. However, a five-day Foundation Course is strongly recommended beforehand.

Lacquer was used throughout the 18th and 19th centuries to decorate furniture or objects in the classic style that Chinese craftsmen had perfected many centuries before. A myriad of examples of European lacquer are on display in museums and private homes across the world. For this reason, lacquer work is currently enjoying a revival in the interior design profession. Once these techniques are acquired, students will be able to draw upon their new-found knowledge and use their own designs and imagination to personalize any surface, transforming ordinary pieces of furniture and objects into imaginative and beautiful contemporary works of art.

The course will also teach students how to match colour, and how to restore damaged pieces of Chinese lacquer work. Attention will be paid to the preparation of surfaces.

The advantages of correct ground work, the mysteries of gesso and the uses of rabbit-skin glue will be revealed.

Design planning, the basic methods of sizing and gilding, the use of paints, powders and leaf will also be taught.