Burmese Hsun Ok Red Lacquered Offering Vessel - AS IS. The elaborately carved wood is costed all over, with a tiered style and larger top orb and finial fit for regal presentation. 

Condition: Large chip in top finial wood. Scuffing and deterioration of lacquer throughout. 

Size: 20 x 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. 

Yun-de is the name for Burmese lacquerware, and the artform is called Pan yun. The lacquer is the sap tapped from the varnish tree or Thitsee (Gluta usitata) that grows wild in the forests of Myanmar. It is straw-colored but turns black on exposure to air. When brushed in or coated on, it forms a hard glossy smooth surface resistant to a degree from the effects of exposure to moisture or heat. The earliest fragments of lacquerware basketry found in Bagan dates back to the 13th Century. Bayinnaung’s conquest and subjugation in 1555 to 1562 of Manipur, Bhamo, Zinme (Chiang Mai), Linzin (Lan Xang), and up the Taping and Shweli rivers in the direction of Yunnan brought back large numbers of skilled craftsmen into Burma. It is thought that the finer sort of Burmese lacquerware, called Yun, was introduced during this period by imported artisans belonging to the Yun or Northern Thai people of the Chiang Mai region. One of the most commonly seen pieces of Burmese lacquerware is the hsun ok, a ceremonial container used for carrying food and other offerings to the monastery or for displaying on altar tables within temples. An important part of both Buddhist rituals and the everyday dinner table throughout the country, there are multiple variations in size, such as the shallow lahpet ok and stackable ones called hsun gyaink. Many are passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation.

Large chip in top finial wood. Scuffing and deterioration of lacquer throughout. 

All items are sold AS IS. Lot and condition details are for descriptive purposes only. Sarasota Estate Auction is not responsible for errors and/or omissions of condition. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is perfect or free from wear, flaws, or characteristics of age. Please bid according to your own expertise, or request any additional information and/or photographs you deem necessary.