Antique or Vintage Handcrafted Sm Betel Box Burmese Yun Lacquerware Bamboo 5 Pcs
Unsold See similar items $103.36 Buy It Now or Best Offer, Click to see shipping cost, eBay Money Back Guarantee
Seller: atfinearts ✉️ (504) 100%,
Location: New York, New York, US,
Ships to: WORLDWIDE,
Item: 134741275948
Antique or Vintage Handcrafted Sm Betel Box Burmese Yun Lacquerware Bamboo 5 Pcs. Antique or Vintage Handcrafted Cylindrical Betel Box Turned Bamboo Burmese Yun Lacquerware 5 Pieces - Approximately 3.75” x 4 3/8” Description: Antique or Vintage (est. 1950s? - 1990?) small cylindrical betel box with Burmese Yun black and red (cinnabar) lacquer decoration . Cylindrical box, traditionally handcrafted from bamboo, offers three (3) shallow interior trays for holding essential items for serving the betel quids, e.g., lime powder. In ancient times, the betel box was an indispensable object of hospitality in a home, and was offered to visitors just as refreshments would be in a Western home today. The box is decorated with an incised Yun decoration, with small figures in the middle of the vegetation. The box has a deep lid to keep items secure. It would also make a nice trinket or jewelry box. Dimensions : Height: 3.75” (9.5 cm) Diameter: 4 3/8” (11 cm) Specifics : · This box/container consists of five (5) individual pieces: There is one (1) base with one (1) overlapping top… Inside, there are three (3) removable shallow interior “nesting” trays which have sides of 7/8” (2.3 cm) high; 1” (2.5 cm) high; and 1.5” (3.8 cm) high respectively. These boxes were traditionally crafted from bamboo. However, the interior trays seem lighter in weight so perhaps they were fashioned with other materials. · Hand incised designs into black, red (cinnabar) and pink-ish lacquer layers. · Hand-incised black circular bands on top, middle and lower outer edges. · Overall incised floral patterns with arabesque designs on the top and sides along with four (4) lion-like mythical creatures (possibly Thai Singha or Kraisorn Rajasri ; or the Burmese Chinthe ) evenly spaced around the circumference and on the top. A patterned elephant – possibly a deity or another folkloric creature – encircled with rings is incised on the bottom of the container. Condition : From the personal collection of a retired art museum professional and folk art collector. Purchased in Chiang Mai, Thailand in late 80s-early 90s. Excellent antique or vintage condition. Sturdy. No cracks or peeling. A few tiny spots on bottom lip/edge show minor flaking. SELLING AS IS – SEE PHOTOS. Background Notes on Burmese Yun Lacquer Decoration Burma (now Myanmar) is famous for a unique style of incised lacquerware decoration called Yun , which is also the generic Burmese term for lacquer. The surface of an object is engraved through 2-3 priming layers with a fine iron stylus (called a kauk ) and the incisions are then filled with coloring matter according to the design. This technique evolved in Ji’an during the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) and continued to be practiced during the Han period (206 BCE – 220 CE) and then appears to have declined in popularity in favor of other decorative lacquer techniques. However, there was a revival of interest in China during the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368 CE). (Garner 1979: 16-17, 40, 156-7). This decorative lacquer technique was probably first seen in Burma on tribute items from neighboring states. There is mention in the Kalyani Inscriptions of 1476, of 'twenty-two variegated 'Haribhunja" [Haripunchai, Thailand], betel boxes with covers' that were formally presented as gifts to visiting monks from Sri Lanka by King Dhamma-Zeidi (r. 1460-92) of Pegu (a center of Buddhist culture and capital of the Mon kingdom.) The King of Chiang Mai is also reported to have sent lacquerware to Pegu as an item of tribute to the victorious King Baying-naung in 1557 CE. Some seven years later, as a punishment following an unsuccessful rebellion against his overlord, the King of Chiang Mai was forced to send numerous craftsmen, including lacquer workers, to Baying-naung's court at Pegu. Traditional Incising Techniques The decorative process for yun wares begins with the incising of a freehand outline of the design into the smooth glossy red, black or brown surface of the object. No stencils or patterns are used. The lines vary greatly in density and complexity depending on the design. A rhythmic liveliness and freedom of movement characterize the best-incised lacquerware patterns with figural elements subtly blending into the decorative details of the groundwork. Lacquer patterns resemble line drawings rather than formal engravings. Simple parallel lines, a feature of yun border decorations, are usually incised with a comb of three or four sewing needles firmly fixed through a bamboo rod. For circular sets of parallel lines, needles inserted into a modified compass are used. A skilled craftsman is able to space the design so accurately that on completion it is virtually impossible to see where the design began and ended (Hla Aung 1959: 190). On the finest work at Pagan, young men are responsible for the first set of incisions, which block out the main complainants of a design. Subsequent incisions require the finely tuned eye-hand coordination of highly skilled young women to attain the intricacy of pattern characteristic of the finest wares. Once the primary incisions have been made, the red hin-thabada colorant is smeared over the object three to four times to make sure that all incisions are filled with the coloring matter. The article is then left to dry for three to four days. When set, the excess pigment is removed by polishing the object on a lathe with wet rice husks. For the best results each color is applied twice and the process repeated. After polishing, the article is left to dry completely. Once dry, a glue made from the resin of either the neem (Azadirachta indica) or the acacia tree (Acaia farensiana) is painted over the newly incised part of the object to seal the color within the engraved lines. New Colors and Quicker Processing Because traditional yun ware is subjected to many processes, alternating with spells of drying, it is very time-consuming to make and relatively expensive for most Burmese. Since the seventies, lacquer entrepreneurs have been seeking ways to produce attractive serviceable lacquerware by shortening, combining, and in some cases eliminating altogether, a number of the tedious processes associated with the making of incised wares. Since there is little that can be done to shorten the process of preparing the surface of an object without severely compromising the quality and appearance of the final product, lacquer workers have looked to decreasing the time spent on applying various colors to an object. With the endemic shortage and increasing prices of raw materials needed to make traditional colorants, lacquer workers began experimenting with brightly-colored (yellow, orange, brown), oil-based, enamel paints, which were readily available on the black market at affordable prices. These were applied in horizontal bands, regardless of the design. But as enamel paints are thicker than the traditional colorants, the designs could not be rendered in the intricate detail associated with classic yun work. These bold colorful wares continue to be popular in Upper Burma, but they are rarely exported to other parts of the country. Excerpted from "Burmese lacquerware", Sylvia Fraser-Lu, White Orchid books, Bangkok, 2000 and https://www.azibaza.com/lecture/lacquer.php Top ********* Please contact me if you have questions ******** US shipping & handling via USPS Mail. International buyers may contact me BEFORE buying for shipping estimates. I am happy to combine shipping charges – based on weight and destination – for buyers purchasing two (2) or more separate items at the same time. And I will personally pack this item with the utmost care to avoid damage during shipping. Please ask all questions beforehand. Winning bidder MUST contact me within 48 hours and complete the transaction within 5 days or I reserve the right to re-list this item. Non-paying buyers WILL be reported. Good luck! Return Policy : If, upon receipt of the item, you are dissatisfied, or believe the item description was inaccurate, please contact me as soon as possible. I will refund the purchase price of the item as well as the original shipping charge. NOTE: The item must be returned to me in the same condition that it was received and shipped back at the buyer's expense. Ebay's process for issuing a refund must be started within 14 days of the purchase. **** IMPORTANT SHIPPING NOTE: I cannot be responsible for items that may be stolen or "go missing" from the buyer's mail if USPS tracking indicates that the package was delivered.**** REMEMBER MY DISCOUNT POLICY: Please check my other listings. I offer a 10% discount –excluding shipping costs - to buyers purchasing THREE(3) or more items at the same time. Please ask. (Note: This offer is for separate listings and does not pertain to “lot” listings which are considered as one (1) item.) How to Buy Multiple Items and Receive the 10% Item Discount and Only Pay for Combined Shipping: 1. For each item you wish to buy, click on “Add to Cart” (instead of “Buy It Now.”) 2. After adding an item to your cart, click on your cart to see that it is there. Then use the back arrow to go back. 3. Continue adding items to your cart in the same way – one by one. 4. When you are finished, click on your cart and check that all items are there. Then, near the top, to the right of the seller’s ID, click on “Request Total.” 5. The seller will respond by sending you an invoice for the cost of all the items minus the 10% discount…and the calculated cost of combined shipping. 6. When you receive this invoice, pay the discounted amount specified.
- Condition: Excellent Vintage Condition
- Primary Material: Lacquer, Bamboo
- Type: Box
- Color: Red & Black
- Original/Reproduction: Vintage Original
- Region of Origin: Burma
- Age: Unknown
- Maker: Handcrafted
PicClick Insights - Antique or Vintage Handcrafted Sm Betel Box Burmese Yun Lacquerware Bamboo 5 Pcs PicClick Exclusive
- Popularity - 0 watchers, 0.0 new watchers per day, 8 days for sale on eBay. 0 sold, 1 available.
- Best Price -
- Seller - 504+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Great seller with very good positive feedback and over 50 ratings.