Burmese Lacquer Cups (Pair)

This is a pair of black lacquer and gold leaf Burmese cups from the 1920s/30s. In the base of the cups are gold chinthes, a highly stylized leogryph (lion-like creature) typical of Burmese iconography. On the outside of the cups are stunning gold coils of chu-pan foliage. This gold leaf lacquerware is called Shwe-zaqa - it is less time consuming to produce than the more common yun ware, but is just as demanding artistically. First, on a highly polished lacquer surface, the artist carefully blocks off the areas not to be gilded with a covering of orpiment and the gum of the neem tree. By so doing, he creates a negative design for the application of gold. Then a coat of fresh lacquer is placed on the blank areas and the entire surface of the object is covered with gold leaf. When the newly lacquered areas are almost dry, the surface is washed with water. Gold on the areas covered by orpiment is washed away, revealing a brilliant gold design on a shiny lacquer background. The object is then allowed to dry in a special cellar.