The art of lacquering is an ancient Chinese craft dating back to legendary times. According to a Ming manuscript, lacquer was used for writing on bamboo slips, applied to utensils used for food, and for ceremonial vessels. As long ago as 2000 BC the value of lacquer was to such an extent that it served as a temple offering and was even acceptable as payment of taxes. From 1122-249 BC it was used to decorate chariots, harnesses, bows and arrows, etc., and in the second century BC buildings as well as musical instruments had lacquer decorations. Later gold and silver inlay was added to the finish and then lacquered. Although the lacquering technique was developed by the Chinese, by the fifteenth century, it was perfected by the Japanese so much so that the European market only wanted the superior Japanese works of art. Lacquer originally came from a non-resinous sap that was taken from the Rhus tree -- a memberof the sumac family. The tree was initially grown in southern China and in about the sixth century AD was cultivated in Japan. It probably was not brought to the Western world because of sumac's poisonous vapors, which can cause rashes and inflamation similar to poison ivy. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution there was a switch to man-made resins.