Most of paintings we see are usually painted on the flat material such as paper or cloth. However, in the 19th century Asia, they were painted on valuable materials such as glass and ivory as well.

Jewelry-like shiny glass painting and detailed ivory painting traveled across the sea as a popular export good. For example, the ivory painting of foreign trading houses in Guangzzhou, China was made for the West as a China Trade Painting. 

The exhibition also introduces the lacquer painting developed independently from lacquer craft in the 20th century Vietnam and China.