Dou

This is a dou. It was used at rituals for offering food. It is made from lacquered wood.

Lacquer is made from the sap of a lacquer tree.

It can be coloured black, brown or red and is painted on to wood like a coloured varnish. It was both colourful and practical protecting the vessel from heat, water and insects.

The lacquer had to be painted on in layers. Each layer had to dry completely before the next one could be applied. They had to be dried at a particular temperature so that the lacquer would not crack. Therefore it was an extremely time-consuming and expensive process.

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