Small lacquer tea bowl with black and orange designs on an orange-red background. Around the top and bottom of the central design there is a band of black and light orange alternating stripes, then a band of black triangles on a light orange background and then another band of stripes. The central design has a paisley or vine motif throughout. Also depicted are three black elephants in profile. They appear to be running. The interior of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl are painted in solid orange-red.

Large lacquer tea bowl with intricate designs around perimeter. The object was donated with a maker’s card which describes its makers and place of origin. The designs around the perimeter were taken from reliefs in Bagan Temple, Burma. The central design is bordered on top and bottom by small patterns in orange-red and green against a black background. These borders depict small beings - such as deer, fish and elephants - within intricate frames. The central design features Buddha in various standing and sitting poses. There is also a large, reclining elephant depicted. The elephant wears a hat and a cloth over its back. In each pose, the Buddha’s hands and feet are in very specific positions. He wears a variety of clothing from one figure to the next but his elaborate head dress remains the same. The various positions include: sitting on his knees, pouring tea, receiving tea, sitting cross-legged, sitting on knees holding a bat, standing with palms pressed together and standing with one arm upraised. On the bottom of the bowl, orange-red lines form a circular border containing text written in green. This circle is open in a small section. There is a standing bird with a long tail within the border with text. The interior of the bowl is painted solid black.

Rod puppet of Arimbi, a noblewoman, riding a horse. The woman’s head (part a) has a white face with finely painted features. She wears an elaborately carved headdress that includes an image of an eagle, over long curly hair. Her torso (part b) is covered by a black velvet bodice and cape and a printed sarong, and around her neck is a wide shoulder and back ornament. Her arms are adorned with bracelets and are moveable at shoulder and elbow by wooden sticks attached to each hand. The puppet sits on a black horse (part c). The horse’s head can be moved slightly and it has real hair for mane and tail. The legs are moveable at the hip and shoulders, and it appears that a front and a rear leg have been exchanged, as two hooves point backwards. Through the horse’s middle is a hole through which a stick (part d) can be inserted that extends into the torso of the rider, holding the puppets together and controlling their body movements. The torso stick can be inserted into a large wooden base, which is painted black.

Rod puppet of Rahwana, a giant with ten faces. TThe puppert's faces are on a detachable head (part a). The primary face is red, with a sharp upturned nose, piercing blue eyes surrounded by painted decoration, and an open mouth showing the upper teeth and two long pointed canine teeth. His beard and moustache are made of real hair. On his head is an intricate headdress with a diadem of gold, blue and white, with pompoms hanging in front of each ear, and a pointed centre portion showing the frowning face of a pink skinned man. On the back of the headdress is another carved face with pink skin, red eyes, and an open mouth, from which protrudes a long, curved, red tongue, a set of white upper teeth, and very long curved canine teeth. This face’s beard is a continuation of the real hair used on the red face. A sleeveless, beaded velvet cover drapes down both the front and back of the gold torso (part b). A matching apron ties at the waist and partially covers a long sarong that hides a wooden stick (part c) which extends up through the torso and into the puppet’s head to control its movement. The puppet’s gold arms are decorated with coiled serpents and bracelets and are moveable at shoulder and elbow by wooden sticks attached to each hand. Part d is a square wooden base that the torso stick of the puppet is inserted into to hold it upright.

Mask of a man’s face, with most features and lines carved rather than solely painted. Textured hair has been carved into the top and sides of the mask and painted white. White animal hair, still attached to hide, has been used to create the eyebrows and moustache. Wrinkles have been carved into the face on forehead, cheeks and chin and surrounding the eyes, and have been emphasized with black paint. Under the painted pupils, narrow eyeholes have been bored through the wood. The protruding nose has two nostril holes bored through as well, and there is an air hole through the mouth, between the lips. Two small holes have been bored on each side of the mask at the edges. The interior of the mask is concave.

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

Anonymous gift

Gift of Edna Ebling

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund