The lacquer takes its roots in China it there has
a few three thousand years, and then developed in all the Southeast
Asia. In Myanmar the tree which one takes the resin is it Thit-si.
These trees push naturally in whole forests almost in all Myanmar in
light altitude. One takes the resin, a little like one does it with
latex, by notches at the base of the trunk on which one fixes small
bowls in bamboo. The sap of the lacquer tree has a very strong
adhesive quality and a splendid brilliance. It has many qualities as
to make impermeable the objects which it covers. It adheres on many
surfaces, bamboo, woods, sheets of palm tree, metal and leather. It
resists the insects and guards on all occasions its flexibility.
Making the inner parts
In Myanmar, the origins of the lacquer seems to come from Bagan
about 12th - 13th century. One of the oldest lacquers was indeed
discovered in the pagoda Mingalazedi, one of the built last with
Bagan (at the 13th century). Always it is that it is in Bagan that
the manufacture of the lacquers acquired its letters of nobility.
The raw material used to manufacture the objects is the bamboo. The
bamboos used to make the inner part of the lacquerware come from the
forests of the Chin State and which is transported by boat until
Bagan. The bamboo then is cut out, softened, worked to give the
shape of the desired object: bowls, dishes, vases, cuts, plates,
various boxes, most famous being the box for betel leaves and nuts.
The craftsman draws up the bamboo on forms. In certain cases one
uses also the hair of horse.
Lacquering
One carries out the first lacquering the interior is covered
with “Thayo” a made resin paste with lacquer and mixed ashes. This
work is in general carried out with the hand (or with very fine
gloves). The number of times where the object of layers will be
coated determines the quality of the lacquer (at least to count
seven times for a beautiful lacquer). The layers of lacquer are
coated with the hand to guarantee of it the smoothness, but also the
regularity. The craftsmen who carry out this work used this
technique since generations and generations. Most of the lacquerware
makers are families working on this from generation to generation.
Drying
When an application is made on the mould in bamboo, one must
then dry it in an obscure and wet place. The duration of drying is
of approximately a week. All the workshops of lacquer have thus
places corresponding to necessary qualities where they store the
lacquers in manufacture.
If the moisture is not sufficient, then good quality lacqureware
will not be produced.
Washing
Once finished drying, the lacquers carefully are washed and
sandpapered if necessary. This stage is important for the quality of
the future lacquer. This washing and sandpapering is carried out
some time with charcoal, resulting from very widespread trees in
Myanmar like teak.
Polishing
After the first drying, one carefully sandpapers the object, one
washes it, then one passes by again, the second layer and one turns
over to drying. As one passes by again of the layers, the mixture is
increasingly fine, one uses ash of ox bone. When the new layer was
well spread out, one erases the possible finger marks with a fine
fabric.
7 layers of lacquering
The object thus makes several outward journey and return with
the warehouse of drying. Each time it thus receives a new layer of
lacquer. It is only on the last layer that one colours. The colors
are usually red, green, blue or yellow. The color is obtained by
adding powder of mercury cinnabar to the lacquer. This mixture is
called Hinthabada. After last drying for the 7th or 8th times, the
lacquer is again sandpapered with teak wood ash, then washed
carefully and it then will be decorated.
Decoration
Engraving is done with free hands, without model, entirely of
memory, directly with naked hands, using a stylet and of a brush.
The lacquer is inalterable, and the objects in lacquer can preserve
all their beauty during years. Not only are the small objects
enameled, utensils of crockery, or another objects of worship, but
also of the pieces of furniture, the cupboards, the tables, large
decorative objects, the musical instruments, earthenware jars etc…
are being decorated with beautiful colors.
After carrying out all theses processes, the lacquerware are now
marketable throughout the country and to overseas.
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