Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c23.5

c23.5

Both types of lac-work differ fundamentally from painting in that brushes are never used; in this respect the work differs entirely from the lacquer varnish work of Japan, with which it is sometimes compared and confused. Plain lac is, however, occasionally used as varnish, especially for painted wood (see p. 167, above). The technique differs also from that of the Maldive Islands, where the lac applied by turning is afterwards incised, a process also characteristic of the well-known Sindh boxes.