Urushi, by the Urushi Study Group, Tokyo 1985, Getty Conservation Institute

This is a soft cover book published in 1988 by the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties and the Getty Conservation Institute cosponsored an international meeting for the study of oriental lacquerware (urushi) in Japan in June 1985. The meeting was the first opportunity for urushi specialists to exchange knowledge of historical, technical, and scientific issues, thereby promoting mutual understanding and interest in the conservation of this material. Twenty-two papers were presented covering the historical aspects of urushi objects, the techniques and conservation of urushi decoration, and scientific and technical examination of the objects. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including the difference in approach of Western and Asian conservation specialists on issues such as reversibility. The need for additional conservation training, scientific research, art historical study, and published information on urushi was also discussed.