Antique Burmese Lacquerware Plate
Dimensions: 16cm diameter, 2.5cm high.
Code: WOOD 7421
This Burmese lacquerware plate was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. This black and red plate has steep sides. The top of the plate is red, with the sides and base black. In good condition consistent with age, there is some cracking and chipping around the rim,
Yun-de, or lacquerware, is an ancient craft of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It was made using an elaborate and technically complex process by master craftsmen starting with gathering the sap from the varnish tree or thitsee that grows wild in the local forests. The finished objects are all handmade and the designs are engraved free hand. It may take three to four months to finish a small vessel but sometimes over a year for a larger piece. The lacquerware came to India through the Chettiar trading community who took up residence in Burma during the 19th and 20th centuries. The traders kept their links with their home region of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, South India and often went back for family events and festivals. Their ancestral homes were filled with lacquer vessels from Burma. In Burma the lacquerware was used by royalty, monks and commoners, indeed it was ubiquitous. Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain. The antique pieces are in high demand from collectors across the world.
This would pair perfectly with WOOD7321 as it is identical in size.