Material: Rattan, metal handles, wood, lacquer
Style: Inle Lake, Shan State, Burma
Size: Height 35 cm, Diameter 45 cm
Order Number: MHSABBL4

The body is very fine and delicate basketry in a fancy diamond pattern called kyudayan gwet in Burmese.  The rim and foot are lacquered black. Although rare today, juxtaposing smooth lacquered surfaces with bare basketry is an old Burmese decorative technique. It was popular for large bamboo matting for the walls of houses.

After the First Anglo-Burmese War (1823–1826), Major Henry Burney was stationed at Ava as the British Resident of the East India Company at the Burmese Court of King Bagyidaw from 1829 to 1837. In May 1832 he wrote an essay ‘Some Account of the Lacquered or Japanned Ware of Ava’ in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. He considered Shan boxes superior to those made in Bagan.

There is a similar example of basketry in Burma and the Art of Lacquer, Ralph Isaacs and T. Richard Blurton, River Books, 2000, page 208.

Early – mid 20th century.

Please ask the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Burmese Basket 4 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Burma
Size: Height 47 cm, Diameter 30 cm
Order Number: MHSABC1

Cooking oil was stored in large, square, heavily lacquered woven containers called hsi-o. It has a square base for sturdiness and small lugs through which string may be threaded so that it can be carried on a pole. It has a detachable lid.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China as China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have been directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Mid 20th century.

There is a similar example in Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba,  Brazil and in Burmese Crafts Past and Present, Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Oxford University Press, 1994, page 228.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Burmese Container appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer
Style: Burma
Size: Height 20.5 cm, Diameter 40 cm
Order Number: MHSABT1

A daung-lan, a low circular table, around which the family sit on the floor to eat.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China as China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have been directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

About 80-90 years.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Burmese Table 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 10.5 cm, Diameter 9.5 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB1

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 10 cm, Diameter 9 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB2

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 9 cm, Diameter 10 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB3

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 3 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 11 cm, Diameter 10 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB4

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 4 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 9 cm, Diameter 7.5 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB5

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 5 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 10 cm, Diameter 11 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB6

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 6 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 12 cm, Diameter 9 cm
Order Number: MHSASDB7

Carved durian medicine box, probably from Palembang, lacquered inside.

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Durian Box 7 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Coconut shell, bamboo, lacquer
Style: Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Length 33.5 cm, Width 7 cm
Order Number: MHSR9

Ceremonial rice spoons are used to ladle cooked rice from the rice basket on the table to the plate at formal festivities, funerals and weddings and to honour guests. Chinese influence at the Palembang court in South Sumatra accounts for its long tradition of lacquer.  Old ones like these are difficult to find.

About 50-60 years old.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Rice Ladle appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Length 12 cm, Width 9 cm
Order Number: MHSR5

Ceremonial rice spoons are used to ladle cooked rice from the rice basket on the table to the plate at formal festivities, funerals and weddings and to honour guests. Chinese influence at the Palembang court in South Sumatra accounts for its long tradition of lacquer.  Old ones like these are difficult to find. There is some damage.

About 60-70 years old.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Rice Spoon 5 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, coconut shell, lacquer
Style: Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Length 22 cm, Width 10 cm
Order Number: MHSR13

Ceremonial rice spoons are used to ladle cooked rice from the rice basket on the table to the plate at formal festivities, funerals and weddings and to honour guests. Chinese influence at the Palembang court in South Sumatra accounts for its long tradition of lacquer. Old ones like these are difficult to find.

About 50-60 years old.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Rice Spoons appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, lacquer
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 16 cm, Width 37 cm, Depth 22 cm
Order Number: MHSAAWBB1

This rectangular box was  made in Sumatra, Indonesia to hold betel items.

Early – mid 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Wooden Betel Box appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 9 cm, Diameter 11 cm
Order Number: MHSL5

This betel box,  called kun it, has 3 separate sections. The upper cartouche has the  Burmese date 1282 which is 1920 AD. It also gives the month:  Wakhaung, which is the 5th month of the Myanmar lunar calendar and corresponds to August.

Wakhaung falls in the rainy season. It is a combination of two words. Wa means Buddhist Lent and Khaung means middle or peak. Thus, it’s the middle or the peak of the Buddhist Lent  which lasts 3 months of the rainy season, namely Waso (July), Wakhaung (August) and Tawthalin (September).

The most traditional lacquer receptacle is the betel box. It is made of woven bamboo and inside are shallow trays to hold items for making the betel chew. The chew is prepared by taking a betel leaf, smearing it with slaked lime and wrapping it around thin slices of areca nut from the areca palm tree.

Other ingredients may be added: tobacco, dried orange peel, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and liqorice. Chewing betel has a refreshing, slightly stimulating effect. The items are placed between the cheek and teeth and slowly savoured.

Betel nut was used by men and women of all social standings. Today it tends to be enjoyed mainly by older people.

It stimulates copious saliva, reduces the appetite and increases thirst. Saliva turns bright red, as do the mouth, lips and teeth. Eventually teeth turn black and fall out.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Dated 1920.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Betel Box appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 4.75 cm, Length 7.5 cm, Depth 14 cm
Order Number: MHSBFCB1

This cylinder box,  called it, would have been used for snacks.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Flat Cylinder Box appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 7 cm, Circumference at top 45 cm
Order Number: MHSLB1

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Lacquer Bowl appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 12 cm, Width 10 cm
Order Number: L4

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Lacquer Box appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer, horsehair
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 7 cm, Diameter 8 cm
Order Number: MHSL3

The woven horsehair results in a drinking cup that is so flexible, even after it has been lacquered, that the sides can be bent in close to one another, sometimes even touching.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Lacquer Cup 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Bamboo, lacquer, horsehair
Style: Bagan, Burma
Size: Height 7 cm, Diameter 8 cm
Order Number: MHSL4

The woven horsehair results in a drinking cup that is so flexible, even after it has been lacquered, that the sides can be bent in close to one another, sometimes even touching.

It seems that the art of making lacquer came to Burma from China. China had been making it for 3,000 years, but it may not have come directly.

Bagan was and is largest and most important centre for lacquer production in Burma.

Lacquer is made from the sap of the htanaung and neem trees. It is tapped like rubber. The grey, viscous liquid turns glossy black on exposure to the air. Objects, which are covered in lacquer, are usually of wood or bamboo, which can be made extremely flexible by interweaving horsehair.

It can also be used as a coating on cane, palm leaf, metal and leather. It forms a hard surface when dry and waterproofs the object and is insect resistant.

Numerous coatings of lacquer are applied. After each application the object is left to dry. The process may take 6 months or longer. A fine piece may have 26 applications. Lacquer furniture can take 2 years to make.

Colour can be applied to it. Traditionally red colouring is used for Burmese lacquer. It is the most distinctive and brilliant and is produced by adding powdered mercuric sulphide, cinnabar, to the lacquer sap.  Ocher and red paint may also be used.  It is added by hand on top of the black lacquer surface. Then dried. Green and yellow are sometimes used, but rarely blue.

In pre-colonial times lacquered boxes stored royal jewels, letters and Buddhist manuscripts. Lacquered trays are still used to give food to the monks.

Ordinary people use lacquer containers for food, clothing, cosmetics and flowers, in preference to the increasingly common metal and plastic.

Map of Bagan.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Burmese Lacquer Cup 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.