Antique Burmese Lacquerware Water Bowl

Dimensions: 10.5cm diameter, 7.5cm high.
Code: WOOD 5821

This red Burmese lacquerware water bowl was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. The thin-walled bowl has been delicately engraved with two parakeets and two delicate flowers. In Burma parakeets (or parrots) are a symbol of love. Around the birds and flowers is a very subtle spotted background. Framing this central band are delicate lines of black and gold. The base has the same delicate lines in concentric circles. The inside of the cup is also lacquered the same red colour. Hand-painted on the cup are also Tamil initials added later, this is because the Chettiars typically belonged to large joint families, with each branch of the family owning very similar objects of their diasporic heritage. It was important to etch their belongings, valuable or utilitarian, with initials clearly indicating ownership. In very good condition for its age, there is no chipping and just some minor cracking.

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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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.