Vine-and-Lacquer Leather Pillow

Works / Vine-and-Lacquer Leather Pillow

Four crafts, one object

An old fir frame establishes a light, stable structure. Rattan is woven around it for resilience and ventilation. Cowhide is fitted and stitched over the woven body. A clear lacquer mixture made with raw lacquer and cooked tung oil is then applied in repeated cycles.

The complete process normally takes two to three months. The result preserves a kind of flexibility that is uncommon in lacquerware: the rattan and leather continue to give under use while the lacquered surface remains integral.

Old fir frame used inside the pillow — Wood frame

Rattan weaving around the pillow frame — Rattan weaving

Leatherwork over the woven pillow body — Leatherwork

Lacquer work on the leather pillow surface — Lacquer work

Two scales and three colours

The High Pillow, No Worries version measures 35 × 13 × 9 cm. A smaller version, Lineage Continued, measures 19 × 9 × 5 cm and takes its scale from the portable pulse pillow used in Chinese medicine.

High Pillow, No Worries series — *High Pillow, No Worries*

Lineage Continued small pillow series — *Lineage Continued*

Red vine-and-lacquer leather pillow — Red

Dark brown vine-and-lacquer leather pillow — Dark brown

Warm white vine-and-lacquer leather pillow — Warm white

Living with the object

The Chinese page also documents positioning, adjustment and cleaning as part of the object’s daily use.

Recommended position for using the pillow — Positioning the pillow

Comparison of pillow positions in use — Comparing positions

Adjusting and repairing the flexible pillow surface — Adjustment and repair

Cleaning and routine care of the pillow — Cleaning and routine care

The pillow with its paulownia presentation box — Paulownia presentation box

Lineage in the work

The Chinese page records both Liu Ercheng and He Wei alongside this object. Liu inherited the family craft and worked through the state-owned factory period; He studied with Liu and later continued the practice through Fugong Leathercraft Workshop.