SHWE LA YAUNG

Lacquer Ware Shop & Store

Masterpieces of lacquer ware have been the pride of Bagan since the days of empire. The craft may have originated in China and spread across Southeast Asia to the Mons, who brought the technique to the capital.

Leading products of the area today, lacquer vessels range from small finger bowls to bucket-size betel-nut canisters. An artisan first weaves a cylindrical frame of bamboo and horsehair, over which successive coats of sap from the thitsi tree are applied. After each layer has dried, a worker puts the cylinder on a lathe for polishing. Using the stick in his right hand to spin the lathe, he smoothes the surface with pumice.

An artist then creates a pattern by scratching a design and covering the container with pigmented lacquer. Another polishing removes all the color except that caught in the depressions. These steps are repeated for successive colors until a multihued design is complete. Some tell a love story; others include figures from astrology, such as the mythical bird Hintha.