The International Magazine of Arts and Antiques of Southeast Asia
Volume 1, Issue 5, November-December 2020.
Contents
Editorial
Talismans and amulets made of Burmese gemstones can be divided into four categories: animalshaped, human-shaped, breastplates or pectorals, and finally beads. The latter two categories can also be used as jewellery.
Through an excellent study by the Hungarian gemmologist Dr. József Takács, you can become acquainted with the various types of Burmese gemstone, the techniques and tools used in gemstone cutting and processing, which have been used in Burma for thousands of years.
Some wonderful material from the Burmese-American archaeologist and gemmologist Terence Tan gives a detailed overview of the historical development of Burmese gemstone talismans and amulets, and the art and culture of the Samon Valley and Pyu.
Finally, to complete the illustration properly, you can acquaint yourself with the world’s largest collection on the subject, the result of decades of conscientious acquisition. The collection is located in Switzerland and has been published in four scholarly texts. Enjoy this extraordinary, precious piece of time travel!
Dr. István Zelnik
Editor, President of the Editorial Board
The Journey through Beads
from Prehistory to the Pyu States in Myanmar
by Terence Tan
From the Transition Period (The Bronze-Iron Age – circa 700 BC-200 BC) to the Iron Age (circa 400 BC-200 AD)
INTRODUCTION
Gemstone Animal Talismans
in Burma
by Dr. Susan Conway
This article features animal talismans from the collection of the Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum in Budapest.
They originate from Upper, Middle and Lower Myanmar (Burma) and are dated to the BronzeIron Transition Age (900 to 200 BCE) and to the Pyu Era (200 to 1000 CE) when Buddhist culture flourished in the Irrawaddy River basin. Talismans imbued with magical properties are a feature of all belief systems. 1 They are displayed openly and activated during rituals or kept secret, hidden from public gaze.
Gemstone Objects from Burma
Gemmological test and Investigation of Production Technology
by Dr. József Takács
In the past year, we have examined a thousand or so Burmese gemstone objects at the Department of Mineralogy of the Eötvös Loránd University and at the Hungarian Southeast Asian Research Institute.Our objectives were to:
– Identify the materials used
– Establish the techniques used in their production
– Determine whether they are authentic, ancient pieces
– Identify fakes, copies and objects that have been repaired
– Determine whether the objects have undergone any modifi cation in modern times
– Describe and document the information obtained about the objects (several thousand micrographs were taken in order to document our work)
Editorial Board
Index of Advertisers – ARTS of SOUTHEAST ASIA:
Volume 1. Issue 5. The Art of Gemstone Beads in Myanmar
The International Magazine of Arts and Antiques of Southeast Asia
Volume 2, Issue 2, March-April 2021
Contents
Editorial
Esteemed Reader,
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the seventh issue of Arts of Southeast Asia, which moves on to deal with the third part of a very special topic: the first two millennia of Burmese gem-cutting history, from the Samon Valley culture of 800 BCE through to the end of the Pyu Kingdoms in the tenth century.
For thousands of years, Burma has been renowned for its wealth of gemstone deposits: jade stones, ruby, emerald, agate, aventurine quartz, rock crystal, tourmaline and onyx, to name just the most widely known. These have been used to make utensils and ritual objects, including talismans and amulets with healing and protective powers, and jewellery.
Recently published studies and albums have shown how the cultural influences of India and Tibet have affected local beliefs and religions, including animistic rituals and the development of relics that have evolved over some three thousand years into the present day, and incorporate talismans and a cult of amulets that has spread across Asia.
In an excellent study by the Hungarian gemmologist, Dr. József Takács, you can acquaint yourself with the various types of Burmese gemstone and the techniques and tools that have been used in gem-cutting and processing in Burma for thousands of years.
Some wonderful material from the Burmese-American archaeologist and gemmologist, Terence Tan, gives a detailed overview of the historical development of Burmese gemstone talismans and amulets, and the art and culture of the Samon Valley and Pyu.
In Issue 5 of Arts of Southeast Asia, we showcased the cult and wonderful animal carvings that have been nurtured in connection with animal-shaped talismans over thousands of years in Burma and much of Asia. In issue 6 encounter the human-shaped talismans and the ancient world of gods and prospective saints. Issue 7 presents the wonderful, rich world of pectoral talismans and amulets in their masterful executions. Enjoy this extraordinary, precious gemstone-time travel!
Dr. István Zelnik
President of the Editorial Board
The Journey
from Prehistory to the Pyu States in Myanmar
by Terence Tan
The transition period in which the Bronze Age shifted to the Iron Age is most commonly referred to in Archaeology as the Bronze-Iron Transition Age (900 BC to 200 AD). In the later part of the Bronze Age, people travelled further, explored new regions, and made new discoveries. It is a common belief among historians that travellers and traders from Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Central Asia, India,
China and East Asia travelled to the Southeast Asian countries via land and sea routes. At that time, people in what is today’s Myanmar were still in the Bronze Age.
Gemstone Objects from Burma
Gemmological Tests and Investigation of Production Technology
by Dr. József Takács
In the past year, we have examined a thousand of Burmese gemstone objects at the Department of Mineralogy of the Eötvös Loránd University and at the Hungarian Southeast Asian Research Institute.
Our objectives were to:
– Identify the materials used
– Establish the techniques used in their production
– Determine whether they are authentic, ancient pieces
– Identify fakes, copies and objects that have been repaired
– Determine whether the objects have undergone any modification in modern times
– Describe and document the information obtained about the objects (several thousand micrographs were taken in order to document our work)
