Antique Burmese Lacquerware Plate

Dimensions: 23cm diameter, 2.5cm high.
Code: WOOD 7821

This Burmese lacquerware plate was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. This elegant black and red plate has steep sides. The top of the plate is red, with the sides and base black. On the base in Burmese, it says “Inwa city, Ko Tun Company”, detailing where and by who the plate was made. In very good condition, some minor marks and chipping consistent with age.

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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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 WOOD 7721 as it is identical in size.