Burmese Lacquer Trinket Box 01

This is a black lacquer and gold leaf Burmese trinket box from the 1920/30s. On the lid in a black medallion is a gold chinthe, a highly stylized leogryph (lion-like creature) typical of Burmese iconography. Four coils of chu-pan foliage emanate out from this and are then held within a rectangular frame of geometric and foliate gold designs on a black background. The same coils of chu-pan foliage are repeated on the sides of the box, giving cohesion to the design. 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.