Myanmar Lacquer ware

Lacquer ware is one of Myanmar traditional handicrafts. It is made of strips of bamboo, hair of horse tail and wood. After polishing with black sap from the "Thit-si" tree, it is painted and decorated with floral designs. Lacquer tray, rice and cheroot boxes are exquisite household utensils and also souvenirs to be cherished for the tourists. To produce a lacquer ware, first, segments of bamboo are split and coiling work is started on a desired mould. Some items are missed with hair of horsetail and some are bamboo only. Then it is painted with resin that make framework to be stronger and then polished with a sharp knife to make smooth surfaces in and out. Again coated with resin mixed finely grounded and sieved powdered clay. Repeatedly, it is polished by hand with dry Dahat leaf (abrasive leaf). Each of above steps need 2 to 3 days to dry up.

Good quality resin is used for coating 2 or 3 times in the final step. In accord with colour of sap is black, whole item is in black when it is done. The item has to be kept in the cellar for about 3 or 5 days depend on weather condition. There are available red and gold painted lacquer ware to meet the choice of different buyers.

Red colour made by adding mercuric sulphide and gold colour with pure gold leafs.

We use finely grounded mercury to obtain the red colour, which is the dominating colour in making the traditional Bagan lacquer ware, and the colour, which is acquired by pounding the Hintha mercury, is very fine. We have to mix the powder with water and stir the solution till it's well-blended. The article that will become lacquer ware will first be coated with resin and after coating it with the powder solution it will be kept in the underground vault to be dried out. After applying several times according to one's taste

Next steps are to put a floral designs and pictures on items come from our Myanmar believe and custom.

First we draw lines to depict pictures of Buddha stories and way of life in our culture. Painting is based on line drawing in sketch and conception; so several stories can be placed even in a small item. A stylus etching to make a groove lines along drawing lines.

There are 3 colours red, blue and green normally put into groove lines to match with it's nature like green for trees. Colour putting into groove line cannot be done in once for 3 different colours. Stylus etching to make a groove lines to be done one colour another. When after full colour is put into lines that become a complete design. Final polishing to make bright after colour painting is rubbed up by only plain hand with petrified wood powder.

Some of the lacquer ware are painted with enamel paint. In this way, beautiful and elaborate lacquer ware are obtained. Please do not miss to visit this workshops in Bagan.