Antique Burmese Lacquerware Plate

Dimensions: 23cm diameter, 2.5cm high.
Code: WOOD 8021

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 the original paper sticker. The top of the plate is red, with the sides and base black. Original sticker “Ko Tun. Phikyosaung Company, Pyinsidan AVA.” shows the plate was never used. These plates were handmade by small artisanal units which the sticker details. In very good condition, with some minor 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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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.