Late Pleistocene Human Occupation in Tianjin Area, North China ·93· Chinese Lacquered Cups of the Han Dynasty from the Collection of Noyon‐Uul, the State Hermitage Museum: Complex Research Using the Methods of Art History and Natural Science Chinese Lacquered Cups of the Han Dynasty from the Collection of Noyon‐Uul, the State Hermitage Museum: Complex Research Using the Methods of Art History and Natural Science Julia Elikhina, Olga Novikova, Sergey Khavrin Abstract: This investigation of unique Han Dynasty Chinese lacquerware eared cups in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, Russia, combines an art historical approach with technological research concerning the paint. These Han er bei cups were found in the Xiongnu barrows discovered during the expedition of P. Kozlov (1863–1935) in the mountains of Noyon‐uul in northern Mongolia. Using a comparative approach, we consider the characteristics of the paints and the technologies used in producing the colorings in the lacquer. The chemical composition and structure of the coatings were studied by optical microscopy, cross‐section, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), and X‐ray analysis. The authors conclude that the multilayer coatings of the cups were made by a special technology using a natural material that is derived from the sap of the lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua). The base material is a biopolymer of urushiol, a mixture of pyrocatechols contained in lacquer tree sap. The results show that these lacquerware samples from the Han Dynasty have tung oil as one of its components. This article shows the role of tung oil in the structures of the studied samples of qi‐lacquer. We also present an integrated investigation of the lacquer cups from the Noyon‐uul collection and a determination of the social position of the owners, their cultural and chronological attributions, and their dating. Key Words: Han archaeology; Han er bei cup; Chinese urushiwares; Noyon‐uul Barrows; qi‐lacquer; tung oil as a modifier; FTIR and X‐ray analysis 1. Introduction 1. 1. Early Chinese Lacquerware Chinese lacquered objects are currently considered as one of the most important com‐ ponents of the dominant material culture of the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). The period 206 BC–AD 8 was the apogee of Han Chinese lacquer art. It is well known that the lacquer used in ancient times in China as a protective, water‐ proof coating material was made from the sap of the lacquer tree (Lat. Rhus verniciflua, Chin. 漆树, Eng. qi‐lacquer, Jap. urushi). The natural zone of its growing was the southern provinces of China, and that was where the original distribution area of lacquered objects was, as well. The most ancient lacquered objects were brown in color. The ancient masters, in impro‐ ving the cleaning techniques and the techniques for applying sap, tested and improved the properties of the coatings (Kapustina and Simonov 2000). By collecting the “sap of life” in copper vessels, the Chinese created a black Julia Elikhina: The State Hermitage Museum, Russia, E‐mail: julia‐elikhina@yandex.ru Olga Novikova: The State Hermitage Museum, Russia, E‐mail: novikova@hermitage.ru Sergey Khavrin: The State Hermitage Museum, Russia, E‐mail: sergekhavrin@yandex.ru