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Headdress
Unknown - Enlarge image
Headdress
- Place of origin:
Burma (made)
- Date:
before 1880 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Lacquer, wood and sheet metal, gilded and inlaid with pieces of glass
- Museum number:
06207(IS)
- Gallery location:
South-East Asia, room 47a, case 15
The high quality of this magnificent gilded, lacquer tiered headdress studded with brilliants was most likely a product of the court of Mandalay. Its shape is highly conventional and is similar to the crowns worn by Jambhupati Buddhas, royalty and minor deities. It was probably intended to be worn by an actor impersonating the king of Celestial Beings in a court pwe (theatrical production), and would have formed part of a costume based on 19th century ceremonial dress worn by Burmese kings on state occasions.
The first Burmese court play was written in the early 18th century, and both puppet plays and theatrical performances with actors became very popular throughout Burma in the 18th and 19th centuries. These plays were usually linked to an incident from Burmese history or were based on one of the Buddhist Jatakas (stories about the Buddha's previous incarnations).
