Burmese Lacquer Offering Stand

Rare Red Lacquered Offering Stand (Hsun-ok)

This elegant, unusual and rare container, lid and stand, is modelled on an offering vessel known as a hsun-ok. It has a carved wooden core but is covered in thickly applied red lacquer, moulded all over with thick vertical ribbing thayo (moulded lacquer) to denote lotus petals.

The decoration and proportions are particularly pleasing. Items with related work appear in the literature but no comparable vessel with this type of work appears to have been published. Examples of items with this type of moulded

thayo work are typically ascribed to the southern Shan States (for example, see Isaacs & Blurton, 2000, p. 151).

The vessel is in excellent condition.