H'Sien Feng Period of Ch'ing Dynasty Lacquered Container Set Circa 1860

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H’Sien Feng Period of Ch’ing Dynasty Lacquered Container Set Circa 1860. Measurements of the outer container are 4” W x … Read more H’Sien Feng Period of Ch’ing Dynasty Lacquered Container Set Circa 1860. Measurements of the outer container are 4” W x 4” D x 3.25” H.
Two rare Burmese/Shan small betel containers, circa 1860s with “ku-nan kan byat” patterns and original inner trays. Genuine antique Burmese lacquer is almost impossible to find these days. These have some pleasing craclature typical of antique Burmese lacquer.
Referred to in Burmese as kun-it, this antique lacquerware box is from Bagan, Burma. The Kun-it or betel box is an indispensable item of hospitality in a Burmese household. Interlocking designs which create an attractive framework for other motifs are popular in Burmese decorative art. This piece is incised with one of the most popular patterns referred to as ku-nan-kan-byat(Yunnan semi-circle design), against a background of thousands of scarcely discernible pin dots – a remarkably labor intensive process. The color of the lacquer is particularly deep and rich, retaining an attractive luster.
The History of Burmese Lacquerware
There is strong historical evidence indicating that Burma acquired the art of lacquerware through contact with neighbouring states in the form of trading, marriage, and conflict. One of the oldest known existing examples of lacquer work was displayed at an arts exhibition in Rangoon in 1918. It was a plain cylindrical teak box painted with lacquer and yellow ochre and marked with a date that translates to the Gregorian calendar as AD1284.
While lacquerware emerged in Burma during the Pagan period it did not evolve into a serious art form until the Ava period (1364-1555) and reached its zenith during the Kon-baung period (1752-1885). Foreign visitors were exposed to a number of thriving centres of lacquerware production. Chief amongst these was Bagan (also spelled Pagan), which is still famous today for its masterfully crafted lacquerware.
Lacquerware was a popular gift to foreign envoys given by members of the Burmese court. The privileged used lacquer boxes to store jewels, letters, and sacred Buddhist manuscripts, known in Pali as Kammavaca. Lacquer vessels were also used during momentous Buddhist ceremonies for presenting food to monks. People at all levels of society used lacquerware in their daily life to store food, refreshments, clothing, cosmetics, flowers, as well as  ingredients used to make a betel quid (a mildly intoxicating combination of areca nuts, slaked lime, tobacco, and betel leaves).
Techniques of Burmese Lacquerware Production:
Lacquerware is known as yun in Burma and the process is remarkably demanding, both in terms of the skill and the investment of time required to complete a single piece. Lacquerware begins with the construction of the basic object in either bamboo or wood; often jackfruit wood. Once the base is made, the object is sealed with a layer of paste made from sawdust mixed with lacquer and left in an underground brick cellar to dry and harden for up to 10 days. The object is then polished on a primitive lathe using the dried leaf of the dahat tree, which has an emery-paper like surface. A second layer of sifted sawdust and lacquer is then applied and the object is returned to the cellar. This process is repeated several times using progressively finer coats of lacquer. In the latter stages, sawdust is replaced with ash to be mixed with the lacquer until a final coat of the highest quality lacquer is applied, offering a deep black, lustrous surface.
Lacquer (called thit-si in Burmese) is a sap taken from the Melanorrhoea usitata, a tree that grows wild in Burma, mostly in the Shan States. Naturally black, other colors are achieved using additional pigments such as cinnabar (red) from China, orpiment (yellow) from the Shan states, and green by combining yellow with indigo (blue). Blue is derived from indigo- usually obtained from India. The art of achieving just the right color, particularly red/orange, is a closely guarded secret of lacquerware artisans. It is said that the secret of the composition is only passed down from father to his most trusted son.
The surface embellishment of lacquerware turns an everyday object into a work of art and the method developed by the Burmese became renowned. The surface of the lacquer is engraved using a sharp iron stylus and the incisions filled with colored pigment (first red/orange) to begin one of the various popular designs. The object is again left to dry in the cellar, and any excess material removed using paddy husks and water. The engraving is then sealed with resin and the second color, usually green, is added and so on. A complex piece will often have 3-4 colors and requires a great deal of time to complete, especially when design motifs cover the entire object.

Much coveted by collectors, the Kun-it or betel box is an indispensable item of hospitality in a Burmese household. Shan lacquerware is hard to come by these days, and this is a fine example. Shan lacquerware is distinct in its preference for a deep red lacquer over the traditional orange-clay of the Bamar craftsmen. See less