Description
OASM/B017
Burmese, Bamar people.
Mandalay, Burma/Myanmar
Ceremonial offering vessel, hsun-ok
Bamboo, wood, lacquer, gold leaf and glass.
13 inches x 5.375 inches x 5.375 inches
Very good, missing some glass inserts and slight wearing of the gold leaf due to age and use.
Offering receptacles such as this one are called hsun-ok. Mandalay is known for this style with heavy inlay glass and gilded with gold leaf. Just about every Burmese home has some form of these elegant vessels that would be used to transport and offer gifts to a monastery or temple for merit.
This hsun-ok is made from a coiled basket and wood core and then layered with natural lacquer. Decorated with ribbons of lacquer called thayo. 8 embedded glass “jewels”, mintzi technique, surround the lid and is mimicked on the base below. Smaller pieces of fragmented glass accent, hman zi shew, accent the rings interlaced with ribbons of thayo work. Then finished with gold leaf. The small size suggest that this vessel was used to transport money or other precious items to be presented at a temple.
The inscriptions state that it was a family donation to the Ma Toungauns Monastery in the year 1972 (? writing unclear under the lower lip for date) on January 9th. For the Family of Ko La Myint (father) and Ma Thay (mother). The Burmese believe that if you make a donation with an object, each time that objected is used you receive additional merit
