Lanna Lacquerware

Khruang khoen is the northern lacquer tradition: a body woven or coiled from split bamboo, sealed with successive coats of sap from the lacquer tree, each rubbed back and left to cure in damp air before the next goes on. The finished ground is black, slightly flexible and light enough to lift with one finger. Two decorations dominate. Lai rot nam draws the design in a resist, floods the surface with gold leaf and washes the rest away, leaving gold on black. The other incises fine lines into the lacquer and rubs colour, usually red, into the cuts. Temple doors, manuscript chests, betel sets and offering bowls all carry it.

What you actually see

• The coiled bamboo bodies - vessels built from split cane, not turned wood.
• Lai rot nam - gold leaf washed away to leave the drawn design.
• The incised red work - lines cut into the black and filled with colour.
• Temple applications - doors, chests and offering stands still in daily use.

When to go

Workshops keep business hours, and the curing rooms are the interesting part, so ask before assuming you can see them. Chiang Mai's temples show the tradition in place at any time of year. The rainy months are in fact when lacquer cures best, since the sap needs humidity, though that is hardly a reason to plan a trip.

Honest expectations

Real lacquer takes weeks and prices reflect it; most of what fills the tourist stalls is sprayed finish over plywood or resin, and telling the difference takes a close look at the rim. Demonstrations are short and often staged. Raw lacquer sap gives some people a contact rash, and finished pieces dislike dry central heating at home.

Nearby

The San Kamphaeng craft road, Wat Phra Singh and the old city temples.