We recently returned from a trip to Burma and visited the markets and antique shops of Yangon. Predictably, we found that the availability of genuine antiques has diminished significantly since our last visit. Long gone are the days of seeing tables and shelves filled with exotic offerings from Burma’s past including opium weights, bronze bells, lacquerware, Nat spirit statues, architectural pieces, Buddhist art and various other fascinating objet d’art.
We did manage to bring back a small collection of artifacts including a particularly charming Nat spirit wooden statue, well known to the Burmese as Mei Wunna, the flower-eating ogress of Mount Popa, along with a few antique bronze bells, a beautifully decorated antique lacquerware kun-it, a rare antique tattoo pen and a small collection of the much sought after handmade Chin textiles, including a very rare antique heirloom piece.
Featured below is a collection of images from Yangon as well as the various artifacts from Burma that are currently available in the gallery. If you find any items that pique your interest please email us at info@sabaidesignsgallery.com
On our most recent trip to Laos in search of antiques and artifacts for the gallery it soon became apparent how few genuine antique pieces were available compared to previous visits. However with a determined effort we managed to find some special items from the 19th and early 20th century which we are highlighting here. Also included are a few photos from the wonderful Wat Si Saket and Haw Pha Kaew Museum, King Setthathirat’s former royal temple. Just click on the images below to be taken to the relevant page for each category.
These are the two finest antique opium pipes that we have had in the gallery to date. Genuine antique opium pipes are exceedingly rare now, having become a highly sort after international collectible. These two pipes were used by the Hmong hill tribe people and are of Chinese origin, being much more refined than most hill tribe opium pipes.
Antique Opium Pipes from Laos
Below is a small collection of antique hill tribe silver jewellery, much of it from the Lao Hmong, and includes soul lock pendants, bracelets, and torques. These are wearable pieces from the late 19th – early 20th century with a silver content of about 92%. They have been given a light clean but can be brought to a high shine if desired. The Hmong are famous in Southeast Asia for their penchant for silver and the skills of their silversmiths.
Antique Tribal Silver Bracelets from Laos
Antique Tribal Silver Torques from the Hmong
Antique Soul Lock Pendants from the Hmong
This collection of antique bronze bells is from Vientiane where they once hung from the eves of temple buildings before being replaced by newly donated bells. They have developed a lovely aged patina and possess distinct ring tones, which at the temple are heard as a reminder of the Buddha’s deep wisdom and endless compassion.
Antique Bronze Temple Bells from Laos
We returned from Laos with just these two charming opium weights. They are from Phongsali in the northern mountains and were used by the Hmong to weigh out opium in the 19th century. While Siamese and Laotian opium weights are said to be less accurate than Burmese weights, these two are beautifully cast. The deer is a particularly rare form.
We hope that you enjoy these rare Laotian artifacts from a bygone era. Please let us know if there are any pieces that are of particular interest. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about these pieces. We will also soon be listing a few exceptional examples of silk weaving from a studio in Vientiane along with a few antique tribal textiles.
The diversity and beauty of Burmese arts, crafts and architecture was immediately apparent to early visitors of this ethnically rich region, and today, as the doors of tourism open wider, more people are discovering the wonderful artistic traditions of Burma which began over 2,000 years ago.
Shwedagon Pagoda by Night in Yangon, Burma
Distinctive works of art to be found in Burma include remarkable feats of architecture (notably the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda and the temples of Bagan), bronze work, wood carving, lacquerware, jewellery, ceramics, and textiles. These artistic traditions are largely the legacy of two great influences. Firstly, there are 135 officially recognized ethnic groups in Burma, divided into eight main groups, each with their own unique culture, customs and artistic traditions. Secondly, over the centuries, animism and Buddhism have provided a major source of inspiration for artisans. Evidence of this is apparent at every turn in Burma, from pagodas, images of the Buddha in wood and bronze to Nat spirit sculptures believed to act as guardians and which fulfill an important role in the ‘supernatural’ aspect of life for the peoples of Burma.
Pagodas of Bagan in Rainy Season
Temple at Inle Lake
Burmese art forms are often highly imaginative and robust, with an emphasis on surface decoration. Unlike the perception of art in the west, the Burmese make no distinctions between so called ‘fine arts’ such as painting and sculpture and ‘applied arts’ such as the making of lacquerware, bronze bells and wood carvings. Objects of beauty were made for the purpose of furnishing Buddhist temples, royal courts as well as providing common people with well crafted, attractive objects for everyday use. Objet d’art includes highly decorated lacquered bamboo containers used for storing food, bronze zoomorphic weights once used in the market place, bronze bells worn by livestock, and even skillfully carved images made to adorn the facade of simple ox carts. The use of gold and precious stones was generally reserved for works of art found in temples and the royal court.
Featured below and now available in the gallery are some of the artifacts from Burma referred to above. We’ve also included a few photos of these artifacts in a home décor setting and additional Asian home décor photographs can be viewed in the Photo Gallery.
Burmese Antiques: Shan Pipe, Opium Weight, Buffalo Bell
We recently supplied a selection of tribal textiles from the Naga living in north-west Burma for an upcoming exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City and have since added several excellent new examples of Naga weaving resplendent with ancient tribal motifs.
Antique Burmese lacquer containers, opium weights dating from as early as the 15th century, celadon ceramics from 15-16th Sukhothai and antique bronze bells are among the items that we recently returned with from an overland trip to Sukhothai and Burma. Below are a few photos from the trip and of some of items that we recently listed in the gallery. Very soon we will be listing more antique bronze bells from Burma. If there are particular items from this region that visitors to the gallery are interested in that are not currently featured, please let us know and we will endeavor to find them.
