Gilded Lacquered Burmese Betel Box

Gilt & Mirrored Glass Lacquered Betel Box (Kun It)

Burma

19th century

height: 18.5cm, diameter: 21.7cm

Betel boxes of this type – gilded and inlaid – are relatively rare. They are all the more rarer when of this size and in such fine condition. It comprises the base, the cover and two internal trays. It was designed to hold leaves for the betel quid as well as receptacles that held the various other ingredients of the betel quid. The box is constructed from thin slithers of woven bamboo that have been lacquered and then gilded with a lacquer and ground gold leaf covering.

The lacquer is inset with glass roundels and diamond shapes (hpet-htok) backed with red, blue, green and silver foil (known as hman-zi- shwei-cha) and further decorated with moulded relief work (known as thayo) in a variety of motifs including the kya-hmauk (petal) and dha-zin-gwe (orchid scrolling) motifs. The interiors of the box and cover and internal trays are in red and orange lacquer. The external sides of the internal trays and walls are further incised with motifs such as bird motifs with black highlights.

The moulded relief flower designs employed on the exterior suggest that the box may have come from the Shan states in eastern Burma, or been made by a Shan craftsman.

Gilded betel boxes of this type often were commissioned as presentation pieces, often for one prince to give to another, or perhaps to present to an esteemed monk.

The box is in very good condition with relatively little loss to the lacquerwork and inlay work, and only minor discoloration here and there. Indeed, compared with the other few surviving examples that we have seen, the condition of this box is remarkably fine. It has an excellent patina and very obvious age.

This item was obtained in the UK and almost certainly came to the UK during the colonial era.

Provenance

UK art market

References

Conway, S., The Shan: Culture, Arts & Crafts, River Books, 2006.

Fraser-Lu, S., Burmese Crafts: Past and Present, Oxford University Press, 1994.

Fraser-Lu, S., Burmese Lacquerware, White Orchid Books, 2000.

Isaacs, R., & T.R. Blurton, Burma and the Art of Lacquer, River Books, 2000.

Lowry, J., Burmese Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1974.

Inventory no.: 1526

SOLD

A view of the base