Beautiful 1 Baht Lanna Elephant Opium Weight

This beautiful opium weight represents an elephant on an elongated octagonal base. The base is four steps high. The validation mark's symbol is difficult to identify, but the elongated base suggests it is likely from Chiang Mai or Chiang Saen in the northern region of Thailand, part of the Lanna Kingdom, definitely from the 1700s.

Provenance: Ex. Private Collection, Netherlands.

Culture & Date: Lanna Kingdom - Thailand, 1774 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:

• Weight: 1 Baht (13 grams)
• Height: 1.9 cm
• Length: 1.7 cm
• Width: 1.4 cm

Historical Context:

The Lanna Kingdom incorporated Burmese bird weights into their system but maintained their own weights and the weight unit of around 12.2 grams. The elongated octagonal base design was preserved from the 1700s until the early 1800s, marked either by Chiang Saen or Chiang Mai. Finding elephant weights weighing more than 5 Baht (65 grams) is very unusual and exceedingly rare, as these weights were generally used for smaller quantities.