Burmese Lacquer Cosmetic Box

This is a Burmese black, red, orange and green cosmetic box (bi-it). The bi-it traditionally contained items like combs, oils and perfumes. The lid is densely decorated with the 'nan-dwin' (King at Court) design that depicts the king holding an audience flanked by two courtiers. The king wears an elaborate court costume and is shown seated in a courtyard in front of a wooden palace that is elaborately engraved. On the sides of the base, more courtiers are depicted listening intently to the king’s words. On the sides of the lid, between floral and hatch-stroke designs, are black panels on which are Burmese inscriptions like ‘Bagan (formerly Pagan) city, Tai Su district’, which is one of the main centres lacquerware was produced in. It can take months to make a piece like this with such complex designs. A similar bi-it can be found on page 109 of the book ‘Burmese Lacquerware’ by Sylvia Fraser-Lu.