Kun-It (Betel) or Be-It (Cosmetic) Box
ca. late 19th century (made)
Place of origin |
The red and gold box is round and cylindrical, the slip-over cover and the plain box being about the same height. The inner tray is flat-bottomed and plain.
The cover has on the top a chu-pan design - a highly conventionalised pattern of leaf-diaper, and on the sides boldly waving bands with rosettes and the same leaf-diaper.
The cover has on the top a chu-pan design - a highly conventionalised pattern of leaf-diaper, and on the sides boldly waving bands with rosettes and the same leaf-diaper.
Object details
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Of finely plaited bamboo wickerwork, covered with black thitsi gum with a surface coating of scarlet thitsi lacquer which is partly overlaid with tinfoil, the whole being then covered with a transparent gold varnish. |
Brief description | Burmese Shan States bamboo and lacquer cylindrical kun-it (betel) or be-it (cosmetic) box with an inner tray in black coated in scarlet, silver and gilt decorated with floral and foliate patterns. ca. late 19th century. |
Physical description | The red and gold box is round and cylindrical, the slip-over cover and the plain box being about the same height. The inner tray is flat-bottomed and plain. The cover has on the top a chu-pan design - a highly conventionalised pattern of leaf-diaper, and on the sides boldly waving bands with rosettes and the same leaf-diaper. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Curzon Bequest |
Production | Attribution note: Conflict of opinion as to what kind of box this was meant to be. There is a paper label stuck to the lid describing in Burmese script this to be a betel box but in 1992 Ralph Isaacs discovered a pencilled label also in Burmese script stating this to be "old style comb box"; ie for cosmetics and toiletries. |
Bibliographic reference | Sylvia Fraser Lu "Burmese Lacquerware"; Bangkok 1985 |
Collection | |
Accession number | IM.200-1927 |
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Record created | November 29, 2000 |
Record URL |
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