Inventory no.: 392

392. Inlaid Betel Cutter, Burma, Burmese

SOLD

Silver-Inlaid Betel Cutter

Min-dan, Southern Burma

early 20th century

length: 12 cm

This cutter is inlaid with silver wire, on both sides of the body and the top of the upper handle. The form of the cutter is that of a stylised parrot. According to Fraser-Lu (1994), this cutter (kun-hnyat) is from Min-dan village in Yamethin district, Burma. Such cutters were exported to India via Madras and were often erroneously thought in India to have originated in Madras and became known as Madras cutters.

References

Min-dan cutters are described in Fraser-Lu, S., Burmese Crafts: Past and Present, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 148.

Inventory no.: 392

SOLD