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Myanmar Arts
10 Myanmar Traditional Arts
There are 10 Myanmar traditional arts which are
metaphorically called "Ten Flowers".
Besides the above arts there are
as Myanmar traditional arts.
Panbe ( the art of
blacksmith )
The art of Panbe ( black smith ) is the tempering
of iron in the furnace to make necessary items. The
artisans make ox cart axle, ox cart iron, tyre,
scissors, hammer, adze, pickaxe, knife, hatchet,
axe, digging hoe and mattock. The Myanmar’s
traditional blacksmith craft emerged in the early of
Bagan period (11th century A.D) and it had improved
in the mid Bagan Ava and Yadanapon period. Myanmar’s
traditional blacksmith craft, from Inlay region were
famous in the Yadanapon period.Many types of
blacksmith craft articles are available, such as
military armour, weapons, file, pickaxe, mattock,
hoe sword, etc. The Myanmar’s traditional blacksmith
craft is very famous in the South East Asia and
constitute one of the artistic wonders of the world.
Panbu ( the art of sculpture
)
The art of Panbu ( Sculpture ) means the one
which produces figures and flora l designs made of
wood or ivory. The artisans make the figure of human
beings and animals and floral designs. Myanmar’s
traditional sculpture emerged before the Bagan
period and it improved in the middle of Bagan Era.
Myanmar’s sculpture base the religion of Buddhism
which arrived from Southern India in the 11th
century A.D.Most of the wood sculptures of Bagan and
Ava periods have been lost under various
circumstances and only a few are left today. One
outstanding wood sculpture belonging to the Bagan
period is the one at the old portal of Shwesigone
pagoda at Nyaung-U. Those who want to see wood
sculptures of Yatanapon (Mandalay) or latter
Yadanapon periods should visit following places:
- Shwe-inbin Monastery, Mandalay
- Bakaya Monastery, Inwa
Myanmar’s traditional sculpture contains wood
sculpture stone sculpture and plaster sculpture but
more wood sculptures will be seen in many arts and
crafts shops, in many cities of Myanmar. The wood
sculptures are liked by many people in the world
to-day.
Pantain ( the art of gold
and silver smith )
The art of Pantain ( gold or silver smith ) is an
enterprise of making items of gold or silver. Silver
smith is the art of making drinking bowl, receptacle
bowl, prize-cup, shield and belt. Gold smith is the
art of making ear-plug, ear-drops, ear-ring, with a
screw-on back piece, finger-ring bracelet , Pendent
and necklace. Myanmar’s traditional arts and crafts
artistic creation of gold and silver wares come
under the genre (ba-dain) art of making items in
gold or silver. Creating silverware had been with
Myanmar for the past one thousand two hundered
years, and judging from the workmanship of the
silverware that belong to those early years, it is
indeed something for the Myanmar’s to crow about.
According to the crystal palace chronicles, during
the reign of King Anawrahta the relices of Buddha
and the three repositories of Buddhist scriptures
were brought to Bagan from Suvunna Boumi, the mon
capital, along with them came mon artisans and works
of mon arts and crafts, gold and silverware etc.
Going further back into the past, we find Pyu silver
works of art discovered from the mounts of old
shrines of Sri Ksetra.
Pantin ( the art of bronze
casting )
The art of Pantin is an enterprise producing
materials of copper, b ronze or brass. The artisans
make triangular brass gong, gong, and brass bowl for
monk, weights in the shape of brainy ducks, tray,
copper pot, cup bowl, cymbal, bell jingle bell and
small brass gong. Myanmar’s traditional
coppersmith’s craft emerged before Bagan period and
it improved during Bagan and Ava period. Every
pagoda in Myanmar has bells, which were struck to
tell the people of good deeds done. They are
triangular bells which twirl when struck and ring
with a sweet rising and falling tone, which
gradually fades away. Moreover there are gongs,
slung from carved ivory or wood elephant trunks,
which are prized as dinner gongs. Different sizes
and shapes of bells, all unmistakably Burmese in
design, are popular as souvenirs. So are other
castings such as weights and cow bells.
Pantaut ( the art of
making floral designs using masonry )
The art of Pantaut ( stucco sculpture ) means a
handicraft of making decora tive floral designs in
relief with stucco. The artisans make the figures of
lions, dragons and floral designs with stucco.
Myanmar traditional stucco carving emerged before
the Bagan period and it improved in the Bagan, Ava,
Amarapura and Yadanapon period. According to the
historical records, Stucco works were very famous in
Bagan period. Stucco works of Bagan period have
detailed decorations. After Bagan we had Stucco
carvings of mid-Konbaung or Amarapura period, which
are very Burmese in style and very fine. The curled
leaves and buds, though few, look very beautiful.
The buds and flowers in bunches in the centre of the
portal at U Kin-danke are unique. Menu’s brick
monastery at Ava stands magnificently today with
wooden pyathad durrets above it. The great building
itself is a work of art to command our admiration.
Panyan ( the art of
bricklaying and masonry )
The art of Panyan ( mason ) is an enterprise
which constructs the buildings using bricks, stones
and cement. The masons build brick houses, Pagoda,
bri dges. Myanmar’s traditional masonry works enjoys
world wide renown for the ancient Pagodas and other
religious buildings around the Bagan region. The
Myanmar’s traditional masonry of Bagan period is the
highest developed of all the historical periods.
Their works are remarkable for their strength,
grandeur beauty of form, immensity of volume,
detailed and appropriate decorations and the power
to hold the spectators in awe. The masonry of mid
Amarapura period is beautiful and lively but to be
placed only in the second order, behind Bagan. The
Myanmar’s traditional masonry have derived from the
mon’s culture of Suvanna Bhumi and in the Southern
Indian’s culture flun the 11th century A.D. In Fact
- Masonry in Myanmar emerged since the Pyu period in
the 1st century A.D.
Pantamault ( the art of
sculpting with stone )
The art of Pantamault ( stone sculpture ) is the
one stones curving. The
 artisans make Buddha images
pole for sima, pillar, leograph, elephants, deer,
circular flat stone, pestle and mortar and table.
Sculpture in stone is a significant feature of
Myanmar fine arts, has to this day been the pride
and honour of Myanmar people. There are sculpture
studios or workshops in Yangon, Mandalay and other
towns in the country, but the majority of studios
are concentrated in Mandalay. Very fine works of art
in stone are to be seen at plaques depicting the
life of the Buddha at Ananda, Bagan. Flower designs
in the interior of the portal at Kyawkku-U min,
Naung-U Nanhpaya, Myinkapa plaques partraying the
550 Buddhist birth-stories at Puhtotawkyi, Amarapura
and the great image at Kyauktawkyi, at the foot of
Mandalay Hill.
Panpoot ( the art of
turning designs on the lathe )
The art of Panpoot is an enterprise to make
wooden utensils turning on turners lathe. Such as
making shaft of umbrella, table legs, and legs of
bed and turne ry posts for Pavilions and railings.
Myanmar’s traditional crafts of a turner emerged in
the Bagan period in the 8th century A.D. The craft
of a turner is an art which is made by rubbing the
woods on the turner’s lathe. Craft of a turner
artists based on the traditional styles of Bagan,
Ava and Yatanapon period. Besides that, Myanmar’s
craft of a turner artists is very interesting.
Diversity in the shape of the craft of a turner,
food containers, boxes, bowls, taunglon tables,
chairs etc. all makes them attractive. The Myanmar’s
traditional arts and crafts owed a great deal of
influence of Mon, the people of suvanna Bhumi-artists
and artisans the Southern India’s culture in the
early Bagan period.
Panchi ( the art of
painting )
The art of Panchi ( painting ) is the one which
illustrates living anima ls and inanimate objects
using different colours. The artists paint the
figures of human beings, animals, objects, scenery
designs and cartoons. Myanmar traditional painting
developed with the religion of Buddhism in the Bagan
Region. Thus, Bagan become a repository of ancient
Myanmar traditional paintings and sculptures in the
11th century A.D. Because of Myanmar artist’s
achievements, we have more paintings of Konbaung
period than those of Ava, they are more colourful
and lively. During Yadanapon of Mandalay period more
painting was done in folding books called purapaik
and on canvas than on the wall. The wall paintings
at Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay were executed in
later Yadanapon period. Most of these paintings have
been copied and collected by the Archaeological
Department, Myanmar.
Panyun ( the art of making
lacquer ware )
The art of Panyun ( Lacquerware ) means a
handicraft which produces materials made of bamboo,
wood and thick black varnish (sis-se). Lacquerware
artisans produce alms food bowl, bowl for monk, and
bowl of pickle tea, lacquer vessel, drinking cup,
betel box, and cheroot box. Myanmar traditional lacquerware emerged in the early part of Bagan
period. Myanmar traditional lacquer ware drawing
styles derived from many stories of Buddha’s life.
Burmese lacquerware is one such product, whose art
goes back to the 11th century. On a framework of
woven, finely cut strips of bamboo, mixtures of thit-see
resin with clay and ash are carefully built-up and
finally polished with the ash of fossil wood. The
designs are then etched or painted by hand. The most
traditional Burmese lacquerware is of a unique
terracotta colour, with scenes from the jatakas, the
Buddha’s former existence, etched and then filled in
with green pigment. More modern designs are in deep,
velvet black, with simpler figures laid on in
gennine gold leaf. Many types of Burmese lacquerware
articles are available, such as boxes, vases, trays,
bowls and even coffee tables. Bagan, site of the
architectural wonders of the East, is the home of
this craft. |
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