Antique Burmese Lacquerware Plate

Dimensions: 17cm diameter, 2cm high.
Code: WOOD 7121

This colourful Burmese lacquerware plate was handmade by specialist artisans in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in the late 19th century/early 20th century. This rare piece is intricately decorated and has a traditional elephant design. Elephants have been working animals since at least the Indus Valley Civilization and Burma has one of the largest populations after India. They were used to haul timber, but also in warfare, and for processions of royalty. In this plate the elephant has a man riding on his back, against a background of intricate crosshatching design and foliate. The foliate design also runs around the rim. The red plate is decorated with black, green and yellow. The back of the plate is plain red lacquer. There is some chipping around the edge of the plate and some marks consistent with age and use, however, it remains a lovely piece and is beautiful just as an ornament, or to hang on a wall for decoration!

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 Over time porcelain, plastic and metal have superseded lacquerware and very few of the workshops remain.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