Fine Hamsa Weight from Upper Burma (1800's)

A very fine Hamsa Opium weight featuring a simple design with minimal ridges or lines around the figure. The lines around the hexagonal base have worn out, and there are small deposits of dirt around the animal. The figure also has a cockscomb spike on top of its head.

This Hamsa/Shan Duck is part of the last released groups of Burmese standard weights, issued during the Konbaung Period (1752 - 1885). This example dates no earlier than the 1800s.

Burmese standard weights were produced by official sites appointed by the king or leader of the country. This centralized production resulted in consistent stylistic tendencies over time, although it also led to the creation of forgeries and unofficial weights.

Despite these stylistic trends, late Shan or Hamsa weights are essentially simplified copies of the older Mon ducks and Golden Hamsas.

Weight: 10 Tical = 159 grams

Provenance: Ex. Private Collection, Netherlands.

Culture & Year: Burmese, 1800 - 1885 AD.

Literature Reference: Leif Bering Mikkelsen. Opium Weights - Old Animal-shaped Bronze Weights from Southeast Asia: Commercial, Ethnic, Symbolic, and Historical Perspectives. 2017.

Condition: Very fine.

Dimensions:

• Height: 5.4 cm
• Length: 3.4 cm
• Width: 2.9 cm