betel-box;
betel equipment
- Museum number
- 1991,0410.1
- Description
-
Cylindrical red lacquer betel-box, 'kun it', with internal tray. This betel-box is made up of the following elements: (1) a densely decorated lid; 2) an internal tray with a heavy lip and red lacquer inside and orange/brown outside; (3) a lower drum with brownish red interior and an exterior that has been saved from fading by being covered by the lid; and (4), very distinctively, a small low base with an orange interior on which the drum is set. The decoration on this box is in the 'yun' technique in red and yellow lacquer, and is in a style that is not well known, though thought to be old. There is much use of cross-hatching and of tightly packed rows of parallel-engraved lines, both vertical and horizontal. The main field is on the top of the lid and is made up of figures in an architectural setting. Three tiered spires, perhaps representing palace buildings, dominate, with the central one being taller than the other two. Figures are visible in the bottom storey of the structures, especially the central one, and other figures - mostly indicated by rows of heads - are depicted in front. Right at the front is a figure who appears to be carried on a litter. The tableau is framed by zigzag panels of fencing around the compound. On the side of the lid is a frieze of birds, each with rounded wings and hooked beaks. Above this are rows of inlaid strips of bare bamboo. On the drum, and thus usually covered by the lid, is a poorly executed frieze of repeating triangular elements. Beneath this is a band of decoration made of moulded 'thayo', imitating small turned wood balusters. The base is decorated on the bottom with the same triangular motif seen on the drum; in the centre is a hole, perhaps the seating for a now lost repair. Made of woven bamboo and lacquer.
- Production date
- 19thC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 19.30 centimetres
-
Height: 18 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Isaacs and Blurton 2000:
The use of this small base - an extra element compared with Burmese betel-boxes - as well as the colouring throughout, is characteristic of Shan manufacture.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2000 Apr - 2000 Aug, BM, 'Visions from the Golden Land: Burma and the Art of Lacquer.'
2002 Apr - 2002 Jul, Bath, East Asian Art Museum, 'Visions from the Golden Land: Burma and the Art of Lacquer.'
- Acquisition date
- 1991
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1991,0410.1
