Caves of Hpo Win Daung, Monywa
Burmese animal-shaped weights

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Animal-Shaped Weights of the Burmese Empire (Opium Weights / Poids d'Asie / Opiumgewichte) and Asian art



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Thai figurines
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hartmutmollat
 
Postings: 37
Joined: 19.04.2008
Bangkok Figurines

Here I present five figurines I bought in Bangkok in 1982. Once these figurines have been given as lucky charms. Later on they came into trade as "weights". In Burma they were rare. I think these figurines have been cast by the same craftsmen which produced the weights using standard quantities of wax or brass. Therefore it can be explained that they often have a mass in grams which correspond to real weights, roughly 15, 31, 62, 124 g (never havier) which is not the system of Burma and may represent price rates. The mass of other figurines like the "pagoda weights" is often far from the weight standards and their multiples, proving that they are in reality no weights. Any evidence of wear and tear is missing.

I am not alone in the world with my opinion. Gerard Houben, the Dutch expert for weights all over the world agreed with me in this point (cf. his book: 5000 Years of weights, published in Zwolle, the Netherlands).



The figurines shown here may have the following meaning (starting on the left side):

1. Monkey eating a fruit – "birth" in Buddhist belief
2. Elephant – Incarnation of the Buddha; first half of wednesday in Burma
3. Saddled horse - Chinese calendar animal
4. Hintha. Holy goose in Burma and in Thailand
5. "Dragon-serpent", Naga in Burmese; animal of saturday. An important mystic "animal" which has proper pagodas in Burma.

Since I have been in Burma I am less familiar with Thai customs. I would be glad, if forum members from Thailand could supplement the interpretation from their point of view.

These figurines don't loose their collecting value, but they are "Thai figurines", not weights at all. Apart from these figurines and the chinese calendar animals (rat, buffalo, tiger, hare, serpent, horse, goat, ape, cock, dog and pig) craftsmen are producing modern fakes such as cow, peacock, spider, octopus, snail, fish, turtle etc. which likewise are sold as "weights".

hartmutmollat
15.12.2008 17:13
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