Burmese Lacquer Betel Box 09

This is a Burmese lacquerware paan or betel (kun-it) box - a traditional item of hospitality in Burmese homes used to offer to visitors. Boxes like this were used to contain the ingredients to make paan, which in its basic form consists of slices of betel nut mixed with lime paste wrapped in betel leaf. The trays in the box would contain these ingredients, or even coconut, saffron, fragrant spices or rose preserves for more special paan preparations. “A maze of sumptuary laws decreed the size, the extent of decoration, and the material permitted for the betel boxes of the various grades of courtiers” says Sylvia Fraser-Lu. Similar Burmese paan boxes can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Ref: Pages 68, 69, and 92 of the book ‘Burmese Lacquerware’ by Sylvia Fraser-Lu.)
An exceptional betel box, this piece features a pàn-bwà floral design that is interspersed with roaring lions. The Lion is believed to represent the Planet Mars, the Southeast and Tuesday. The lion (Thein) also represents Leo and the month of August. Zoomorphic creatures were used to represent days and their corresponding constellations in Burmese Art.

Pages 68, 69, and 92 of the book ‘Burmese Lacquerware’ by Sylvia Fraser-Lu.)