Antique Burmese Lacquerware Bowl

Dimensions: 15cm diameter, 6cm high.
Code: WOOD 6821

This black and red Burmese lacquerware bowl was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. This shallow bowl has a flared base. The inside of the bowl is red, and the sides and base black. Hand-painted on the base are the initials PL. VR 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 their name to clearly indicate ownership. In good condition, with some minor cracks and chips consistent with 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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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.