Antique Burmese Lacquerware Tray

Dimensions: 34cm diameter, 5cm high.
Code: WOOD 8521

This Burmese lacquerware tray was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. This black and gold floral lacquerware tray has fluted sides. In the centre of the tray is a gold floral design within a double circle, and Burmese writing, which is too faded to read. Around this are designs made by exposing the contrasting greyish matt finish of the underlying priming material as a background. Then the floral designs are more highly polished. A few of these designs have also then been picked out in gold. These were usually commissioned by European residents, inspired by the subtler Far Eastern lacquerware. Some fading of the gold areas due to age and use.

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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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