One of the great rarities of Thai incised lacquer is this wonderfully detailed condiment box in various colors of burgundy, orange red, yellow, green, and light red lacquer. It is said that the more colors and details found in Thai lacquer, the more expensive it was to produce. This small (4 inches) box displays well and features a Temple dog on the lid, and a peacock on the bottom, very unusual indeed...

Burmese lacquerware offering tray coated with black and red lacquer.

Age: Burma, Mandalay period, circa 19th century
Measurement: Diameter 31.8 C.M. / Height 6.3 C.M.
Condition: Nice conditon overall (some expected degradation due to its age such as natural cracks which are common for old lacquerware). Please refer to the enlargement photos for more details.
Shipment: Worldwide shipping from Bangkok, Thailand at actual cost. Please e-mail us for the shipping fee.

A rare and small antique Cinnabar Red Wood and Lacquer Offering Tray, 19th Century, Northern Thailand. Overall condition good. Size: 10 cm. height x 18 cm. top diameter.

Genuine antique Shan lacquer box circa late 19thCE. Most Burmese lacquer being offered on the internet purported to be antique are vintage at best and new at worst. I acquired this in Yunnan, China along the Burmese border but of Shan (nationality in China). Although there is some damage the craftsmanship is exquisite which is why I put a grain of sand in a couple of the images to put the work into perspective...

An antique 19th Century solid wooden offering tray from Northern Thailand with cinnabar lacquer finish. Medium Size: H. 4.75" x 10" diameter (12 cm. x 27 cm.). Good overall condition, no restorations. Difficult to come by!

A rare antique Cinnabar Red Lacquer Basket from Northern Thailand. 19th Century. A very labour intensive handmade procedure where woven and coiled bamboo and clay formed the base of this container. Furthermore, 6 ribs were bent and curved to form feet at the base. The top was curved and rolled inwards and many coats of lacquer were applied over and over after drying each one. Overall condition good, some wear, size: 17.5 cm. height x 38 cm. top diameter, 24 cm. bottom diameter.

Two rare Burmese/Shan small betel containers, 60 to 100 years old with “ku-nan kan byat” patterns and original inner trays. Genuine antique Burmese lacquer is almost impossible to find these days; I picked the larger one up in a small shop Luang Prabang, Laos in 1998. H: 8.7cm/3.4in and W: 10.2cm/4in, and the smaller one, H: 6.7cm/2.7in and D: 7.7cm/3in, in Chiang Mai this year. These have some old repairs, as well as a pleasing craclature typical of antique Burmese lacquer.

A genuine antique wooden flower offering tray with cinnabar red lacquer, 19th Century, Northern Thailand. Small size: H. 5.5" x 7" diameter (14 cm. x 18 cm.). Condition fair, used. Very difficult to find!

Very fine lacquer “siri” box from the Karen ethnic group in Northern Thailand. This has thick application of black lacquer and a fine naturally aged patina- circa 50 to 60 years old. There are two inner trays and is in good condition- there is one old repair at the bottom that may be noted in the last enlargement. H: 10.5cm4.1in and D: 9cm/3.5in.

Superb antique lacquered bamboo woven box from the Lisu ethnic minority, Northern Thailand. This piece is in good condition with minute losses to lacquer but perfect woven body. Please view enlargements to appreciate the fine detail on this, also note that this double walled. L: 11.cm/4.2in, H: 5.5cm/2.3in and W: 6.5cm/2.5in.

This is a page from the rare Burmese Buddhist Sutra manuscript called the the KAMMAVACA. The pages of these religious sutras were made from a thin strip of bamboo covered with cloth (frequently monks robes) which was thickly coated with red lacquer and gold leaf decoration. Lacquer from tamarind seed was used for the square black lettered text which is in the now extinct Burmese religious script of Pali...

Nice old antique black lacquered bamboo and wood box from Cambodia circa 1950 or earlier. This part of a collection I acquired almost 20 years ago. Khmer lacquer is quite rare, not many crafts survived the Khmer Rouge era, and is a lost art. Some wear and restoration as to be expected but no major damage. D: 5cm/7.8in and H: 10.5cm/4.1in.

Very fine red lacquered saber (dao) scabbard fitting from the Nùng people Vietnam. They are well known for their sword making so it makes sense they would put the same effort into their accoutrements. This is an old semi antique piece circa 1950 excellent condition and intricate carving. L: 14cm/5.5in W: 5.9cm/2.3in and Thickness 2.4cm/1in.

Cambodian semi antique Khmer basket circa pre 1950. Excellent condition, with natural lacquer and some painted design. Woven with split bamboo it is still quite serviceable, please view enlargements to appreciate the detail of this weave- you will not find any genuinely old baskets in Cambodia anymore (or anywhere else for that matter). Dimensions: 27cm/11.8in diameter and 15cm/6in height. There is some damage to the footrim noted in last enlargement.

A very rare THAI 18/19th Century Black & Gold Lacquered Bamboo container with scrolling and flowers. Top rim partially restored as can be seen in photos due to considerable age and climatic conditions. Gilding shows some wear. Overall in fair condition. Size: H. 12" x 13.5" diameter. Impossible to find in this era!

Rare black Lanna lacquer box circa 70 to 90 years old in excellent condition given its age, no repairs or big chunk missing, from Chiang Mai. Genuine old examples of Thai lacquer are quite rare these days as most have been bought up by Thai collectors. H: 8.7cm/3.4in and D: 11cm/4.2in.

Charming and unusually small black and red lacquer vessel from Kenteng, Shan State, Burma. A very cute piece and genuinely old- circa 80 years. This piece is uncommon in that it has six feet instead of the usual four. The entire piece is covered in red lacquer with a black lacquer overcoat on the outside. There is surface craqueleur as to be expected from authentic old lacquer but no breakage in the body. D: 13.5cm/5.3in and H: 8.2cm/3.2in.

A set of rare and complete Burmese manuscript (KAMMAVACA) made from thick cloth coated with gold and lacquer in nice condition. It was written in the Pali language using Burmese script. The square letters were written in thick and black cinnabar lacquer. This set has 16 leaves and 2 wooden covers made from teak wood. Each leave was inscribed on both sides with illustrations of deity figures from Hindu-Buddhist mythology on some leaves...