Rich heritage

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Asia Times News

Rich heritage


Maggie Pai, for Asia Times, 25th June 1997

Taiwan's first exhibition of arts from Myanmar, "Ancient Buddhist Images and 
Lacquerware from Burma", proved a huge success for Taipei's Artasia gallery. 
The show also marked a break from the gallery's reputation of dealing only in 
rare and unusual Chinese furniture, particularly from the Ming dynasty. 

John Ang Kwang-ming and Jane Fong, the gallery's owners, said that after 
almost seven years they decided that, with the diminishing availability of 
good quality, affordable antique furniture from mainland China, plus the 
increasing pressures of domestic competition, it was time to in troduce a new 
collection of Southeast Asian an tiques to Taiwan. 

After surveying their options, they felt that Cam bodian artifacts, with their 
tradition of sophisticated fakes, were already too well-known and too highly 
priced on the international market. As for Thai art, Ang said he felt that 
after the 14th century the arts of Thailand lacked any kind of spiritual 
ethos. 

On the other hand, he said, Burmese art, particularly sculptures and 
lacquerware, was not available on the Taiwanese market and consequently had 
great potential. 

The partners felt the gallery's established reputation would be enhanced by 
the spirituality and simplicity of the Burmese Buddhist images, with their 
fluid rounded edges and tactile quality, matched by the country's rustic 
monochromatic lacquerware. 



Ang and Fong traveled extensively in Myanmar and the border areas of northern 
Thailand concentrating on selecting Buddha images that, with their serene 
looks and ambivalent smiles evoking an inner spiritual contentment and 
harmony, matched the requirements of Chinese collectors of Buddhist sculpture 
who believe the shape of the Buddha's face to be of utmost importance. 

Their findings, when it came to dating and characterizing stylistic 
differences of Buddhist images, which experts believe have a stylistic 
chronology largely dependent on comparisons, confirmed the views of Philip 
Rawson, author of The Art of Southeast Asia (Praeger, 1967). "Art in Burma 
means Buddhist art, and the Burma known to art-history is not identical with 
the modern geographical unity," he wrote. 

In their final selection of 30 Buddhist images, ranging from six to 
153-centimeter marble, sandstone bronze, terra cotta and gilt-lacquered wood 
creations from the Pyu kingdom (200-900 AD), the Pagan period (1044-1287) and 
the Amarapura and Mandalay period (1783-1885), Ang and Fong believed they have 
contributed toward establishing a new stylistic sequence. 

Stone sculpture and metal casting techniques were introduced to Burma from 
India about 500 BC, at the same time as Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. 
Theravada Buddhism, emphasizing the need for every man to seek his own way to 
salvation, is considered closest to Buddha's teachings and has remained the 
dominant form of Buddhism influencing and permeating Burmese life and art for 
centuries. As a result hundreds of religious objects were made as acts of 
faith and records of meritorious deeds. 

The 30 Buddhist images covering a complete range of the regional styles and 
techniques of Burmese sculpture, are all of either Sakyamuni, the present 
Buddha, or Maitreya, the future Buddha. Almost all of them show the Buddha in 
the most popular of the iconic positions used in Burmese Buddhist art to 
illustrate the Buddha and his life, the virasana position in which the Buddha 
is depicted sitting straight with his right leg, the sole exposed, lying on 
top of the left leg. At the same time his right hand, with the palm facing 
inward, is stretched over his knee with the fingertips touching the ground in 
what is known as the earth touching gesture, known as bhumisparsa mudra. 

Many museums specializing in Southeast Asian art do not have any early Burmese 
sculpture so the inclusion in the exhibition of three rare images from the Pyu 
and Pagan period, together with other museum quality pieces, provided the 
exhibition with a strong foundation. 

The earliest, a 7th to 9th century Pyu gilt bronze seated Buddha, showed the 
Sakyamuni Buddha on a rounded, raised pedestal. The Budd ha's facial features, 
with downcast eyes emphasized by the rather round face, with its broad nose 
and thick lips, are similar to those of Mon sculpture of southeast Burma of 
the same period. But the tight curls and elongated ears, together with the 
smooth, fluid contours of the slim-waisted body, clearly visible through the 
cling ing, diaphanous robe, reflect stylistic influences from the Gupta period 
of north India (320-510 AD) known for its simplicity and refined realism. 

The bronze is similar to many early Buddhist images dating from the Pyu 
kingdom found near the Pyu capital, Sri Kshetra (near present day Pye on the 
eastern banks of the Irrawaddy north of Yangon). 

Only 18 centimeters in height, the delicately and precisely carved dolomite 
Buddhist stele sculpture from the Pagan period shows the continuing influence 
of the east Indian Pala (750-1200) style of the neighboring Bengali (now 
Bangladesh) valley, where dolomite was a favorite material used in the 
rendition of small relief sculptures. 

The central figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni, seated on a high, double lotus 
pedestal, has his right hand extended in the earth-touching gesture. 

The figure is surrounded by episodes from his previous incarnations, known as 
the Jakata Tales, a favorite theme in Buddhist art, shown in small low relief 
sculptures, the most prominent being the one above his head showing the dying 
Buddha lying on his right side. The large ears, indicating the heavy jewelry 
worn in his previous princely life, extend and curl at the shoulders. 

The Pagan triangular shaped face with its V-shaped eyebrows almost meeting 
above the slender nose is completed with a small, half smiling mouth. 

The classical period of Burmese Buddhist art was achieved in the Pagan period 
when thousands of pagodas were erected in the capital, which was the center 
for Buddhist studies until its capture and partial destruction by the Mongols 
in 1287. 



By showing Burmese red and black lacquerware, together with the Buddhist 
images, in a simple setting of white orchids, green-leaved plants and floor 
cushions placed among low furniture, Artasia reminded visitors that the use of 
the lacquerware continues to be an important part of life in Myanmar. Although 
signs of usage were apparent in the humble lacquerware, varying in age from 40 
to 80 years old, it did not detract from its beauty and intrinsic quality. 

The tradition and daily use of Burmese lacquerware, whose base is either 
metal, soft wood, woven bamboo or horsehair, began in the Pyu period. 



Although the range of Burmese lacquerware is wide, Artasia selected only a few 
pieces which fall into line with its artistic ideals. The lacquerware chosen 
has simple forms, rich patina, rustic looks, fluid lines and full and rounded 
shapes. 

Included among the traditional forms of Burmese lacquerware were betel nut 
boxes, pedestals for votive gifts to monasteries, circular trays on stands 
used as small tables, deep bowls, plates, rice, oil and water containers. 
Several clearly reflected forms of Burmese Buddhist art such as the black or 
red lacquerware ceremonial pots, known as hsun-ok. 

The wide curved bowl set on a waisted pedestal flares out from a circular foot 
ring and the concentric layers of the pot form trays which are used to hold 
rice, eggs and fish and candies. The stupa-shaped pot lid, with concentric 
mouldings, ends in a spiral. A similar lacquerware pot, known as an ok-kwet, 
is composed of a series of trays or plates crowned by an upturned bowl which 
may be used as a ladle or a cup. 

In today's "trend" driven antiques market, Artasia took an unusual step in 
choosing not to exhibit easily accessible but austere and remote- looking 
Chinese-Buddhist images. The Myanmar arts show provided an unusual exhibition 
in which down-to-earth Burmese Buddhist images, with their downcast eyes and 
gentle, luminous smiles were presented side by side in an attractive 
arrangement with traditional lacquerware containers. 

Ang expressed himself as pleased with Taipei's response to the show, 
describing it as "exciting because many ... well-traveled local and foreign 
collectors had never before seen Burmese art, and they fell in love with it at 
first sight". 

The success of the exhibition, Ang said, showed a new acceptance in Taiwan of 
arts from other cultures. 

Maggie Pai is a contributing writer for Asia Times based in Taipei.