Bagan Lacquerware Family | Myanmar Traditional Handmade Lacquerware From The Ancient City Bagan

Описание: Ko Myint Naing and Ma Win Win Aye talk about running a family lacquerware business in Bagan and keeping the tradition of creating handmade lacquerware alive.

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Myanmar is one of the few countries that produce entirely handmade lacquerware products. Within Myanmar, Bagan is the largest lacquerware production center (President Barack Obama purchased some here during his visit to Myanmar). Bagan, in central Myanmar, is famous for its thousands of temples scattered across the dry plains alongside the Ayeyarwady river. It is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lacquerware making tradition is believed to have started in Bagan in the 12th or 13th century and the region remains the national epicenter of the industry today, home to several large workshops.

Myanmar lacquerware is solely handmade and from agro-based raw materials such as bamboo, wood and lacquer sap. First, the bamboo is cut out, softened, and worked to give the shape of the desired object: bowls, dishes, vases, plates and various boxes. The resulting objects are then coated with lacquer sap which is used to make the product durable, water-proof, to enable the products to be decorated with designs. Then the objects are stored away for a week to dry before they are polished again with lacquer sap.

This drying-and-polishing process is carried out a dozen times before the object is ready to be handed over to the artists for the final step: engraving intricate designs and drawings on the lacquerware. This is done with free hands, without model, entirely of memory, directly with naked hands, using a stylet and a brush. It can take from six months to a year to complete one item.

Lacquerware is a staple in the homes of Myanmar for baskets, cups and bowls. It’s fascinating to visit the lacquer workshops in Bagan, where you can witness the process from shaving bamboo to making the lacquer mixture and artists decorating the pieces by hand.

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